Kitsunetsuki
by Death2Afangirl
Summary: Tsuna rescues a fox spirit. However, his act of kindness ends up catapulting him into the world of yokai and having his heart captured by a cunning beast. 10027/ Byakuran x Tsuna pairing.
1. The Kitsune and the human

Kitsunetsuki

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or its characters. I'm just creatively using them.

Warning: Yaoi (male on male relationships. Don't like, don't read), Nudity, violence

Author's note: This story has the pairing of 10027 or Byakuran/Tsuna. In this story, Byakuran and a lot of other characters are yokai, preternatural animals. However, this fanfiction will focus on Henge yokai, which are yokai that have the ability to shapeshift into a human form. Byakuran is a kitsune, a fox spirit, while Tsuna is the unfortunate human (of course!).

Chapter one: The kitsune and the human

"What on earth?"

Never in Tsuna's life had he seen such a scene. Right in the middle of his path was a battle between a kitsune and a group of crows. The fox spirit with a white coat and five tails held its own against the birds. The white kitsune took a hold of one its feathered opponents's neck, breaking it with it sharp teeth. The other crows attacked the body of the kitsune, while it held it's comrade in its jaws. The birds pecked the kitsune's eyes causing the fox to recoil, releasing the helpless crow in his mouth. With one closed eye, the unusual animal tried it's best to scratch and bite at the other birds, but the crows were slippery and evaded the beast's snout and claws easily.

The brunette could only stare at the scene, mesmerized and horrified. Tsuna still couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was like the stories that his grandfather told him when he was a child. His grandfather told him about the different types of yokai, spiritual creatures. As a child he feared them, like everything else in the world, but he was very surprised at himself being able to stand there watching a fight between yokai.

A cry came from above and the sound of wings fluttering could be heard in a distance. The brunette looked up, a bad feeling brewing in his gut. His brown eyes widen as he saw the crows's reinforcements. A group of black birds dived down and attacked the fox spirit. The five tailed fox went down at contact. There was not much Tsuna could see through the sea of ebony wings and feathers, but he didn't need to see the kitsune to know he was outnumbered and losing. Forgetting his fear and all he's been told of the yokai by his grandfather, Tsuna raced toward the murder of crows, swinging his bag. He needed to save the kitsune, he didn't know what the creature did to deserve this treatment, but whether man or not, nothing deserved to be assaulted like that.

"Get away!" Tsuna shouted, hitting a few birds with his bag. The black birds took to the sky, but they didn't go far. They perched onto a nearby power line, watching the brunette and the fallen kitsune.

When Tsuna was sure that the birds would keep their distance, he turned to the fox spirit. The creature laid on its side, eyes closed and stationary. Fear ran through Tsuna at the thought that he was too late. He released a bated breath as he noticed the kitsune's side rise and fall, it was breathing, so that meant the kitsune was still alive. The brunette carefully lowered a hand to the kitsune, cautious that the creature wouldn't wake up and bite his hand off. Since the kitsune showed no signs of attacking his hovering hand, Tsuna proceeded in petting the animal's head. Its fur was soft, warm and smooth. Running his hands through the kitsune's coat felt like sliding them through silk. The five tails of the fox was fluffy and thick, reminding Tsuna of clouds. Close up, the fox spirit was a beautiful creature to behold, even though it was tattered by the fight with the crows. There were splotches of blood and dirt on its white coat, but it didn't take away the kitsune's allure.

Tsuna tenderly petted the creature between the ears and it was there that his decision was made. He couldn't leave the kitsune here to be preyed on by the crows; he had to take the creature with him. Without a second thought, Tsuna took off his jacket and wrapped the creature in it. He then carried the fox off, looking warily at the crows who gazed at him with beady dark eyes. The crows were watching him, their gazes unnerved the human.

"I hope they wouldn't follow me." The petite young man said to himself. Yet, Tsuna's resolve was made up. He was not going to leave the kitsune here. The brunette began walking, looking back at the power line to see if the fox spirit's attackers was pursuing him. The crows made no moves to go after him, but their intent looks burned into Tsuna. The brunette was grateful for that, rushing off.

Though delicate-looking, the kitsune was heavy, but he didn't live far. Tsuna didn't feel completely safe until he got to his apartment. He made sure none of the crows had followed him home by looking out of his window. The skies were clear, not a crow in sight. He then turned to the treatment of the five-tailed fox. He set out old sheets and bedding for the creature to lie on as he tended to the creature's injuries. It did cross Tsuna's mind to bring the kitsune to a Vet, but he wasn't sure if the doctor would be able to see him, let alone treat him. So, the brunette opted for doing the best he could on his own.

With a basin of hot water and a cloth the brunette meticulously began cleaning the creatures white coat. Tsuna made sure his touch was gentle and soft enough not to startle the creature, however, the five tailed fox remained completely still throughout the whole process. Tsuna opened a first aid kit and began taking out the antibacterial spray. He wasn't sure if mythical creatures got infections or the like, but he felt it was better to be safe than sorry. Tsuna chose to attack the bigger of the fox's gashes. The fox spirit had a nasty cut on the side of his body. The creature body got it from when he was ambushed. Tsuna positioned the spray bottle a few inches away from the open wound and squirted the anti-biotic. Once the liquid touched the raw cut, the kitsune sprung to life, awakened by the swearing pain on his side. The kitsune bit down Tsuna's hand in defense and ran off.

"AHHHHHH!" The human screamed more in shock than pain. Tsuna swore under his breath as he nursed his hand. The fox hadn't bitten him too deeply, only a little blood was drawn. Once he made sure his hand was fine, he went off to find the fox. Tsuna knew the creature didn't mean to bite him maliciously, the fox was surprised. He always hated when his mother would cleanse his cuts with those sprays, it felt even worse than the cut itself. It was no wonder the white animal bite him.

He searched his whole apartment and finally found the animal in his bathroom tub, growling at him. The brunette gulped at how feral the creature seemed. The fox spirit had its razor sharp teeth bared, deadly claws extended and his pointy ears folded back in a menacing fashion. It was hard to believe the beautiful creature he had carried his back to his apartment could be so vicious.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Tsuna tried to convince the creature, but the kitsune's defensive disposition didn't change. It still snarled at him. The brunette sighed and took a seat on the bathroom floor. Perhaps, if he stayed there, the kitsune would warm up to him or at least figure out that he meant no harm. After waiting for a good hour or two, Tsuna began nodding off to sleep. The fox quieted a half an hour ago, but it still held its post.

It wasn't until Tsuna was sound asleep that the fox moved. The animal became alert, twitching his ears at the peculiar sounds of Tsuna's apartment. Its head poked out from the inside of the tub, peering at the surroundings. The kitsune realized he was in an unfamiliar place and his instincts told him to be cautious. He stayed in the bathtub as he surveyed the room, extending his ears to predict any impending danger. However, no such thing happened. Still he waited for some unprecedented occurrence to lunge at him. Nothing. The kitsune leapt out of the confined space and began walking around his five tails skirting the floor he walked on. The fox cautious passed by the sleeping brunette, sniffing at his limbs. When the boy didn't move, the reynard was convinced that it was safe.

The five tailed fox spirit began to glow with a blinding white gleam. Its shape growing larger than that of a fox, paws turning into hands and feet, his several tails regressing into the new form. No longer did a fox sat at the edge of Tsuna's feet, but a naked white haired man with purple eyes took its place. The man looked around his surroundings, taking everything in.

The place seemed ordinary. He was expecting to something more, especially from a human who handled him in his other form. It was extremely rare for human beings to see creatures such as himself. Their presence in the world wasn't because people were easy to fool, but that human beings had simply stopped believing in them. It was easy for human beings to play off a sighting by deeming it a trick of the mind or a product of their imagination. The kitsune wasn't bothered that a human had saw him, he was actually quite intrigued.

Tsuna began to stir in his sleep, the fox turning to waking brunette. Tsuna's eyes opened. His vision was still blurry, but even through the unclear image he still noticed the presence of another. His sight cleared and he was fully aware of the bareness of the person in front of him. The human gasped.

"Good evening~" The snow haired man greeted, seemingly very comfortable in his nudity.

Tsuna's mouth was agape as he stared at the naked man. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't think! Interested the white haired stranger crouched down to Tsuna's level, intensify his gaze by a fraction. "Is anyone home?~"

That's what did it. Tsuna woke out of his petrifaction and said the first thing that came to mind. "You're naked."

As soon as Tsuna said it, he wished he hadn't. After all, there were more important issues to bring up at time like this. Such as, who are you? What are you doing here? And the million dollar question: Why are you naked?

The other made a face of revelation. "Is that what's bothering you? You never saw a naked man before?"

_There are a lot of things bothering me? And why would I want to see a man naked?_ Tsuna thought in his head. The brunette moved away from the crouching stranger, keeping eye contact with the nude man, so he wouldn't look at his **other** parts by mistake. He got off the floor and said in his most demanding voice, "P-put your clothes on and get out of my apartment!"

The white haired exhibitionist stared at him blankly and after a long pause, he answered. "But I have no clothes. After all, you brought me here without them."

"I didn't bring-" Tsuna began, but stopped himself. He looked at the stranger more closely, but kept his eyes on the neck up. He didn't need to see anywhere else. He still didn't trust the other, but he was impressed by his otherworldly appearance. The man before him was beautiful in an almost unnatural way. Never in his life have he seen an individual with hair so white or eyes the hue of violet. The other's skin looked flawless, except for the purple marking under his left eyes, which oddly seem to complete the stranger's look.

The stranger's white hair seemed very familiar, though. The hair color did spark recollection in Tsuna. A thought came to him and his eyes shifted away from the snow haired nudist to the bathtub. The five tailed fox was no longer there. The brunette turned back to the man, who beamed at him with a wide smirk and eyes turning into slits. The other's expression was very vulpine-like. The brunette was then struck with another thought. He stated with skepticism. "You couldn't be…you're not…"

"Bingo~." The other replied in a pleased tone. "I'm the kitsune."

Chapter End

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Notes:

Kitsunetsuki - It means to be possesed by a fox. Being possesed by a fox is very similar to clinical lycanthrophy, a human being believe that he is a wolf. People who are controlled by kitsunes are often feral. However, for this story the meaning of Kitsunetsuki is more romantically charged. Love is kind like being possesed by another. In Tsuna's case by a kistune.

Kitsune vampirism - like most preternatural beings they survive on the energy of others. Although blood sucking and sex is the most common way to transfer energy, Kitsune can also draw power from other mediums such as nature, knowledge, other spirits and even buildings.

Kitsune - The Japanese word for fox, but it is also used to describe the fox spirit. A kitsune is preternatural being able to assume human form as well as create illusions. It's more famed abilities is shapeshifter (assuming other forms besides human) and the use of its kitsunebi (foxfire). Like most perceptions of the fox, kitsune are tricksters. Most kistunes's tricks aren't malicious but to show the person being deceived a lesson.

* * *

Author's note:

I've wanted to write this story for so long, but I was only recently prompted to write it after the end of the future arc, which I was kind of disappointed by for obvious reasons. Anyway, I hope you all liked this introductory chapter. If you guys have suggestions (like telling me to keep to one name for kitsune lol) or constructive criticism, share it, but don't be malicious. Please review, favorite, story alert. Thank you!


	2. Karasu Tengu

Kitsunetsuki

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or its characters. All rights reserved to Akira Amano.

Chapter Two: Karasu Tengu

"A towel?" The brunette offered the cloth to the fox spirit, averting his eyes from the other's state of undress.

The kitsune accepted it, although he wanted to tease the human more. Tsuna was acting like such a maiden. Tsuna's cinnamon colored eyes somewhat revealed his purity, showing innocence and also a hidden interest. Once he securely tied the cloth around his waist, the human seemed more at ease standing in the same room with him.

"You must be one of those shapeshifter yokai. I heard that they can change from their true form to a human looking one." Tsuna said, he had heard of such creatures from his grandfather. It was just surprisingly that he would encounter one or have one naked in his bathroom.

The kitsune laughed a little. "Well, it would be pretty hard to speak to me in my other form."

"Right." Tsuna agreed. Animals couldn't talk, even if they were preternatural beings. Now that they were on the subject of talking, Tsuna thought it would be awkward referring to the white haired man as simply kitsune. "My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi. Do you have a name?"

"Byakuran." The fox said simply. The brunette gave him a weird look. Knowingly, Byakuran knew the source of peculiar expression stemmed from his given name. His mother named him, so he wasn't at fault. Despite teasing from his peers growing up, the kitsune felt his name suited him. Suddenly Byakuran winced, feeling a painstaking ache on his ache. He placed a hand over the ache to try to alleviate the pain, but instead it made matters worse. The snow haired male collasped to his knees as the pain resonated throughout his whole body.

"Are you okay?" Tsuna questioned as he crouched by the other's side. He had forgotten about the injuries that the other received from the melee earlier. The root of pain came from the gash he tried to heal, before the reynard hid in his bathtub. Now in human form, the wound looked much nastier. The injury was stretched, probably when Byakuran had changed from fox to human form. The gash appeared to be much deeper too, but on the bright side, the blood was starting to clot.

"It's only a tiny scratch." The injured fox tried to assure him.

_If that's a tiny scratch, then I'm five foot eleven….which I'm not!_ Tsuna voiced mentally. He stood up and started out of the bathroom. "Let me get the first aid kit."

"That wouldn't work." Byakuran said, stopping Tsuna in his tracks. "Human medicine doesn't work on beings like me."

Tsuna rotate his body toward the snow haired male. "Then?"

The preternatural being stated, "I need energy."

"So, you need food?" Tsuna brought up, unsure if that would help the mythical being's case.

Byakuran chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "That's no good."

The kitsune gathered that Tsuna was unacquainted with the way yokai sustained their lives. For human beings, all that was required for them was to eat, sleep or to do activity for them to be rejuvenated or recover. However yokai needed to call upon different means for them to feel revitalized or even have enough power to heal themselves. "I need another kind of substance."

The brunette's eyes enlarged, his heart beating a tad faster than before. "Don't tell me you want to drink my blood?"

"Well, there is that…."Byakuran acknowledged, but the fox spirit trailed off which left Tsuna curious. The other continued after a pondering pause. "There is also physical contact."

"Physical contact?" Tsuna raised a stern eyebrow at the other's wording. He was very aware of what the other was suggesting and he was definitely not doing it. Definitely not! "I-I'm not having sex with you."

"Can't blame a yokai for trying." Byakuran joked as he extended his hand out to the brunette. The fox spirit gestured towards the hand he had bit earlier. "Your hand will do fine."

Tsuna was hesitant in giving the other his hand. He wasn't sure what the other would do with it. "Are you going to bite me again?"

The fox's guise stared blankly at the brunette. Then he remembered what occurred between them in his true form. He had bite Tsuna, when he used that anti-bacterial spray on him. "Sorry, but I was a bit spooked. It's not every day you wake up to someone poisoning you."

"Sorry." The brunette said apologetically, he should have known that the anti-bacterial spray would react badly to the fox spirit. Maybe it was the guilt he felt for harming the kitsune, but he held out his hand towards the kitsune, ignoring his own wariness. "Okay."

Tsuna watched as Byakuran took his hand, he didn't know what to expect when the other touched him. The fox spirit's hand was very soft and warm. The kitsune brought Tsuna's hand to his lips and opened his mouth slightly. Tsuna closed his eyes shut, waiting for the other to bite him or cause harm to his appendage. He was surprised when he felt something wet and hot slithered over his knuckles. Tsuna shivered, his finger fidgeting in the other's hand and the human's free hand flattened against the floor, but the blazing moist touch didn't relent. Out of curiosity, the brunette opened one eye. Through a one-sided gaze, the brunette managed to see Byakuran running his tongue over his skin. The brunette watched the act, hypnotized and discontented. It was kind of erotic the way the fox lapped at his hand, as if he was making drawings tongue.

Then, the kitsune's eyes open, locking their gazes together. The white haired male smiled with his eyes, giving an intense stare that sent shivers down his spine. As if putting on a show, his effort seemed to have slowed down into languid strokes that made the brunette blush. Tsuna closed both his eyes tightly, bowing his head. Byakuran chuckled softly against the back of Tsuna's hand. "I'm finished, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna eyes shot open and he pulled his hand out of Byakuran's grasp. He glanced at his appendage just to check if all fingers were intact. All five fingers were present, but Tsuna noticed the bite mark from the white reynard had completely vanished. He asked, looking away. "Are you okay now?"

"Couldn't be better." The snow haired male said merrily. The brunette's eyes swept over the kitsune's body. The gash had disappeared as well as the other cuts and scrapes that were inflicted on the fox. The other's body was unblemished now, as if he hadn't been in a fight. Byakuran smirked, noticing the human's protracted gawk. "Like what you see, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Tsuna blush returned, he couldn't take the other's teasing. He was only surprised by how fast his wounds evaporated. He didn't mean to gape. He decided that the fox needed clothes. Fast! Tsuna stood up from his sitting position, and escaped from his guest. "I-I'll find you some clothes."

Purposefully, the brunette shifted through his closet and searched in his drawers for something Byakuran could wear. He inspected different shirts and pants, considering the kitsune's height and built. Tsuna had a lot of clothes that couldn't fit him. The brunette faced this problem all his life, he was always too small. And even with a slight growth spurt, he still endured the same predicaments even now. Tsuna had accumulated a good amount of clothing that was either too small (even for him), too big and some of which were very loose or tight on him.

"Did you find any?" The kitsune inquired from the doorframe of the bathroom. The brunette turned to the other, seeing that he white haired guise leaned on the bathroom's threshold, lazily.

With brown eyes down casted, the embarrassed human presented the handful of clothes he had garnered. "I don't know what would fit you."

Byakuran stepped into the room, halting in front of his brown haired rescuer. Obediently, he shifted through the clothes and found a few items that would fit him. He then swiftly place on the items, checking their fit. Finally he settled for a white t-shirt and dark pants. Somehow, the clothes looked too ordinary against Byakuran's unique appearance, but the kitsune didn't seem to mind and Tsuna was just happy the other was clothed.

"So…what's for dinner?" Byakuran asked.

"Um…." Tsuna began; he hadn't had time to go to the convenience store to get his usual microwavable dinner. The brunette was very limited of what he could make and even the things he did manage to produce weren't his best. He realized after leaving home that his mother had made all his meals and he never learned a thing from her. Tsuna never had to take an interest in cooking while he lived with his parents, but in retrospect, he realized it could have been a valuable skill. Tsuna had lived off buying bento at the local convenience store up till now. He didn't mind purchasing his meals, it saved him time and frustration, but the taste was nothing compared to his mother's home cooking.

The brunette was pulled back to reality by the beginning of the white haired man's humming. The other was patiently waiting for his answer and remorsefully, the human told the kitsune his food situation. Around his house, he had a bag of rice and a few ingredients in the fridge. "I don't know what could be made with those."

"Hmm~ I could make something." Byakuran figured he could make a few onigiri with them. Surprisingly, his guest wasn't very skilled in the kitchen either, however he prided himself on rice based meals, after all foxes used to be servants of the God of rice, Inari. Tsuna agreed with this since the kitsune was able to make use of the demon, known as the rice cooker. Yes, Tsuna was unsuccessful at cooking appliances as well.

The brunette watched as the white haired kitsune molded a handful of rice into perfect triangles. Tsuna felt very envious that someone who wasn't human could make near perfect rice balls and in contrast, the human's never took shape. "How do you do that?" Tsuna wondered, not realizing he had spoken his thoughts.

Byakuran turned to the brunette beside him. "How do I do what?" He asked.

Tsuna would have been flustered if he looked directly at his guest, but he decided to avoid eye contact. He pointed at the half-done onigiri in the fox's hand. "How do you make them come out so perfectly?"

The fox's human persona looked down at his hands, "It's pretty easy once you know the method. Do you want me to show you?"

Tsuna nodded slightly, still evading the other's lilac gaze. Byakuran quickly finished the rice ball in his hand and sat that one along with the others that was completed. "First, you dipped your hands in water that's been slightly salted," The white haired male said merrily as he dipped his hands into a bowl of water. He waited until the brunette did the same before he moved on to the next step. "Then you grab a handful of rice."

The brunette did as he was instructed and the reynard continued his teaching. "And envision things that are triangular, like leaves, watermelon slices, fox ears, ice cream cones, pizza slices, candy corn, fox ears, musical triangles, pyramids, Tokyo tower, fox ears…"

"Wait." The human stopped the other's rant. "Did you say fox ears three times?"

Byakuran only smiled. "I always think about my ears when I'm making onigiri."

_No wonder the rice balls comes out perfectly, he's a narcissist!_ Tsuna berated the kitsune in his mind. However, he had to admit that it was good way to remember the shape.

"Now make a triangle shape with your hands." Byakuran said and the brunette watched as the fox spirit placed his fingers together, bridging the two hands where the tallest fingers met. Tsuna tried to mimic the same position, but somehow the rice slipped from his fingers on to the floor. The brunette groaned inwardly in shame.

"Try again." His onigiri teacher encouraged. "But this time hold on to the rice with the palms of your hands."

Tsuna went through the whole motion again; he managed to form the triangle shape with his hands on the second time around. "Now here's the tricky part. Loosen your hands a bit and turn the rice around with the palms of your hands. Then recreate the shape with your fingers and press them along the sides of the rice."

The brunette watched Byakuran do it first and it seemed so easy. However, when he did it, the rice fell out of his hands again. His third attempt, he managed to turn the rice in his palms, but pressed too hard, making all the rice exploded onto his face and front. In his fourth effort, he forgot to wet his hands with the salted water, causing the handful of rice to collapse in his hands. Through it all, Byakuran stood by patiently watching him fail time after time. It wasn't until he heard the gnashing of the brunette's gritted teeth that the kitsune decided to intervene. "Let me help you, Tsunayoshi-kun."

The human's frustration leaked out of him when his snowy haired guest placed his pale hands over the brunette's shaky ones. Tsuna nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt the kitsune's chest at his back and the other's chin hovering over his shoulder. The brunette felt so many emotions swirling through him; those at the top of the list were awkwardness, distrust and a bit of intrigue. Feeling the other's unease, Byakuran said softly. "No need to be nervous, Tsunayoshi-kun, this is just a simple cooking lesson."

"R-right." Tsuna finally managed to say, relaxing a bit. He allowed the fox spirit to guide him to the two stations; the bowl and the rice cooker. Byakuran also gently positioned his hands into the perfect mold and even held on to the rice so there wasn't any more food wasted. Lastly, he checked the pressure of his hand, correcting it accordingly. It didn't take Tsuna long to get the hang of it. His onigiri still wasn't as perfect as Byakuran's, but he had definitely improved.

Tsuna dived into the meal, messily consuming the rice balls, while Byakuran's method was more refined. The fox spirit ate more slowly, tearing a piece of the rice ball and popping it into his mouth. Although, the brunette tried his best to disguise his wandering looks in his guest's directions, Byakuran picked up on them. "You look like you have something on your mind."

"N-no." Shocked that he had been found out, Tsuna began to deny it, but instead gave in. "Actually, I do. If you don't mind me asking?"

Byakuran's purple gaze lifted up from his rice ball and pinned the human with a knowingly look. "You want to know why I was attacked by the crows?"

Tsuna nodded. The kitsune gave the other a beguiling smile before he began his explanation. "Usually, yokai get along well, as long as we respect each other's boundaries. However, there are a few things that can cause us to fight. One of those things is increasing our strength. Well, I could only speak for my kind, but kitsune spend most of their lives trying to attain all nine of their tails."

The white haired reynard paused to finish his rice ball. In the meantime, the brunette thought about fox tails. Tsuna remembered that the Byakuran's true form had five tails. He wondered how long it took him to attain them.

"It's very important to us that we acquire our tails, to the point that we would tread on those boundaries set. And so I did just that. I tested a very dangerous person, the leader of the crow tengu, Hibari Kyoya." Byakuran admitted as he reached for another rice ball. He looked over to Tsuna and detected something. "Tsunayoshi-kun, you have a grain of rice on the side of your mouth."

The human blushed furiously as he removed the rice from his face. The fox spirit grinned; it was fun to watch the other become flustered. He finished, "Kyo-chan has a big peach tree, passed down from generation to generation within his clan. A lot of yokai heard that the peaches were ripe and marveled about them, but they were too afraid of Kyo-chan to even dare to take one. Not only did I want to eat the peaches for my own benefit, but I also wanted to teach Kyo-chan some humility. So, I sneaked into his estate, which was easy, and stole some of his peaches. Then, Kyo-chan's buzzkills got wind of it and went after me."

"So, he tried to kill you over some peaches?" Inquired the human incredulously.

"In Kyo-chan's defense, it wasn't an ordinary tree. That peach tree only grows fruit every hundred years and eating one peach is said to extend your life. Also, it's the symbol of Kyo-chan's succession as leader of his clan, only the current leader can eat from it. So you have to understand that when I took his peaches, it bruised Kyo-chan's pride, and he'll do anything to restore it."

Tsuna understood Hibari's side; he would be upset if something so important was taken. However, attacking Byakuran the way he did was terrible. "Can't you make things right with him?"

"I would, if I wanted to." Byakuran said with an amusing smile. "Like I said, I wanted to teach Kyo-chan, modesty. I have nothing against him personally, but I just thought it would be fun to play with him."

_It sounds like you played a cruel prank on him._ Tsuna considered to himself. Perhaps, yokai were very similar to children. "But you were the one who wronged him…"

"Saying that now when you have already chosen a side."

"I didn't choose a side. I saw the crows attack you and assumed that you were being bullied." The brunette corrected, he had no idea that Byakuran was the one who provoked the crows.

Tsuna's preternatural guest shrugged his shoulders. "Unfortunately, since you meddled in the fight, you would be considered as an accomplice, no matter what your intentions were."

"Great." Tsuna sighed. That was the last time the brunette was going to be a Good Samaritan. Suddenly, the brunette felt exhausted and he placed a hand over his mouth, catching his yawn.

Byakuran noticed the brunette's gesture and said with a pout. "Am I boring you, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Tsuna's fatigue increased; he could barely keep his eyes open. He figured it was due to the long day he had and the very fully meal. The brunette yawned again before answering. "N-no. I just feel so tired."

"Perhaps, you should go to bed." Byakuran suggested.

The brunette agreed, standing up for his seat. "I think you're right. You can stay here for the night if you want."

"Will I be sleeping with you?" asked Byakuran, rolling his eyes up to meet the brunette's.

Tsuna was much too tired to get embarrassed. Instead, he answered simply. "No. I have an extra futon."

"Awww." The other whined.

Tsuna pulled out the futon he had, setting it by his bed, but not too close. He then passed the fox some blankets since the night air was chilly. "Here."

"Thank you." The kitsune said graciously, accepting the blanket. He watched as the human went over to brush his teeth and took care of all the lights. Tsuna noted that his guest was still sitting upright, waiting for him to settle in. Finally the fox spirit spoke his anticipated words. "Good night, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"Night." The brunette said as he sunk into his bed, giving Byakuran his back.

As soon as he was sure that the brunette was asleep, Byakuran rose from his bed. He hadn't expected to stay so long, but now he was free to leave without guilt. It was cowardly and rude to leave without saying goodbye or at least thanking the human for his kindness, but it made things easier for both parties. Byakuran couldn't stay, he would be targeted by crows and he didn't want Tsuna in the crossfire. He had already placed the brunette in danger for staying as long as he did.

Tsuna would forget about their meeting in time and like most humans, he'll pretend as if he had dreamt it. That was fine with Byakuran; it would be easy for him to forget too. He had lived for a couple of hundred years and somehow the encounters he had with humans had faded away with time. And the white kitsune had spoken to many interesting people; pondering philosophers, beautiful concubines, courageous samurais and even wise priests, but not one lived in his memory long enough before it was erased to make room for others.

"Well it was fun, Tsunayoshi-kun…" The fox spirit whispered, looking to the place where the sleeping human laid. He was bombarded with the memories of the events that occurred today, but his decision was made. He really did enjoy his time with Tsuna, though it was short. "Lots of fun."

Somewhere in Tokyo,

In a quiet neighborhood resided a serene traditional Japanese house. The neighborhood was rumored to be the safest, cleanest and quietest place in all of Japan. It wasn't the residents that upheld the reputation, but rather the mysterious happenings that would occur whenever something dared disturb the peace. Most of the residents ignored it, but some gossiped that it was because of the handsome man that lived in the traditional residence up the road. The young man who lived there was a very private person; he was rarely seen entering or leaving. However, when he was spotted, the women fawned and the men glowered. Often the man would be surrounded by men in dark suits; the neighborhood assumed that it was his body guards, causing speculation of the young master's identity. The woman in the neighborhood believed that the young man was from royalty. The men of the neighborhood believed that he was part of the Yakuza and that was the reason why the neighborhood was so quiet and peaceful. Each assumption was possibly, but incorrect. The young man was not a part of royalty or associated with the Yakuza, he was actually a yokai.

The classic abode had a white stone gate surrounding its perimeter. The plaque on the front gate read, "Hibari". From over the gate the only things visible was the roof of the big house and a large peach tree loomed on the side, ripe with fruit and pink flowers in bloom.

Lounging outside of his room, the young master rested on the wooden floor. His back was flat against the wood, with his arms folded back to support his head. The dark haired male appeared to be very aristocratic, with pale skin and clad in an expensive looking dark kimono. He laid undisturbed. Even the small yellow bird, that took a post within his hair, did not will the man awake. However, his rest was short lived when a group of crows swooped down from the sky and landed in the yard. Although, the birds have been very quiet in their arrival, the dark haired master opened his eyes sharply as if woken by a horrible sound. As if intuitively feeling the tension brewing within the master, the yellow bird took to the air.

"Incompetent, incompetent." It sung as it flew over the subservient crows and perched a safe distance on the roof.

Unease settled over the black birds, they shuffled their feathers nervously and kept their beaks low. The master sluggishly sat up, still drowsy from his short nap. He ran a pale hand through his cropped hair.

"Kyo-san, allow me to explain." A tall man with his hair style in a pompadour came from behind the master. Unlike the dark haired leader, he wore a dark suit. He was the only one out of the crows in a human appearance just as the master was. This showed the man's status was much higher than the others birds. He went to his knees, bowing lowly.

There was silence. Hibari made no movements and even the crows in front of him was still. The one, who referred to the master as intimately as Kyo-san, continued. "They were stopped by a human-"

Without another word, dark haired male swung his body around and struck the bowing man. His movements were so quick and fluid it almost seemed as if the other was struck by lightning. The man collapsed on the floor, cradling his face from the swift blow. The master loomed over his body, exposing the weapon he had used, a steel tonfa. "You allowed a weak human to stop you, Kusakabe."

The man stayed down and profusely apologized. "My deepest apologies, Kyo-san."

The apology wasn't good enough. The crow tengu was now in disgrace and it wouldn't be long before the rest of yokai world got wind of it. Everyone would know what the kitsune stole from him and they would also know that his crows had been scared off by a human, allowing Byakuran to escape. Hibari was a very prideful man, though he didn't care about other's opinion of him, anything less than fear and respect showed towards him and his clan was unacceptable.

"But, we already found the human's location." Kusakabe revealed, making Hibari slip from his reverie and fixed his icy eyes on at the man. "We have already set the motions of capturing the kitsune."

"And the human?" Hibari questioned.

Kusakabe dithered, but nodded. "We will take him into our custody as well."

"Go." Hibari said as he settled back into his previous position. The tall man got up from the floor and left the room. The crows also took to air, leaving the young master to himself. Hibari's sharp eyes looked to the peach tree in his yard and his eyes darkened, remembering how the vulpine miscreant infiltrated his home and stole his peaches. It wouldn't happen again.

Chapter End

* * *

Notes

Karasu Tengu- There are two types of tengu, the birdlike and the long nose goblin-like tengu. The Crow tengu is very similar to their long nose counterparts. Tengu usually reside in mountains in seclusion. Tengu are high skilled in martial arts and are well disciplined. Like the Kitsune, Tengu are often tricksters, confusing a traveler from his path or even teleporting the traveler to a strange place.

Peaches- In Chinese folklore, Peaches had the ability to prolong immortality. That's why the fruit was only eaten by immortals and peach trees only grew fruit a millennia or two. In Japanese folklore, peaches are said to have purifying qualities. Momotaro or Peachboy is a popular Japanese figure. He arrived on earth inside a peach and was found drifting upstream. He later grew up fighting demons.

Kitsune's tails – Kitsune or fox spirits are distinguished by the number of tails they have. In various tales, Kitsune have been portrayed having three, five, seven and nine tails. The only kitsune who has more than nine is the mother of all kitsune, sometimes referred to as The Lady. The lady is said to have ten or even a thousand tails. The number of tails proves how powerful the fox spirit is and when a kitsune had all nine tails it is said they reach enlightenment.

* * *

Omake- A new leaf

Byakuran: This is a lot different from the other fics I've been in.

Tsuna: Oh how?

Byakuran: Well usually I'm portrayed as some maniac that tries to rape, maim, kill and drug people that I could or could not be romantically involved with. Isn't that funny, Tsunayoshi-kun?

Tsuna: *nervous laughter* A little. Though, the fanfic just started you can still do those things.

Byakuran: *sighs* I hope not, I think it would be nice to play a hero for once~.

Tsuna: *smiles* I hope that comes true.

Byakuran: Thank you, Tsunayoshi-kun, but still people think I'm some sociopath. That kind of scarlet letter doesn't just go away. You try to take over the world once and people think you belong in a straightjacket. *pauses and listens* That's right, Rhys, we should burn them all.

Tsuna: *nervous* who are you talking to?

Byakuran: Oh, the fairy that tells me to burn things~.

Tsuna: Okay….*backing away* I'm going to go now. *Runs*

Byakuran: *pouts* we scared another one, Rhys. *listens* Yep, we should burn his house down, too.

Omake end


	3. Bakeneko

Kitsunetsuki

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or its characters. All rights reserved to Akira Amano and her publishers.

Author's Note: I forgot to mention in the last chapters, but Tsuna is about eighteen or nineteen years old. Everyone else is around the same age, so imagine ten year later selves (just a few years younger, though). The story takes place in Tokyo and probably in the present, nothing futuristic.

Chapter Three: Bakeneko

Tsuna woke up to someone banging on his door. Actually, he was scared awake, since the noise was thunderous and alarming. The brunette looked around his surroundings. The room was still dark, since it was still early in the morning. The human's eyes then shifted to the place the kitsune slept, but he found that Byakuran was not there. Tsuna wondered if his preternatural guest had left. He didn't know if he was happy about the other's departure or disappointed. However, the brunette wasn't able to sort out his feelings before another round of hammering caused the mousy young adult to yelp, springing up from his bed to answer the door.

"I'm coming!" He yelled out as he approached the door. The banging stopped abruptly. For some reason, it unnerved him and wondered if he should answer the door at all. He didn't know many people and of the people he knew, none would ever bang on his door this early. Yet, he couldn't pretend he wasn't home now, he had given himself away.

Tsuna pulled opened the door and recoiled, seeing several men in dark suits standing outside his apartment door. They were much taller than him, looming over him with a menacing air. Their eyes shielded by dark sunglasses, jaws locked and hazardous styled hair that threatened to poke his eyes out. The brunette swallowed hard, standing a bit straighter than usual.

"G-good morning. Can I help you?" Tsuna couldn't help the stutter or the death grip he had on his door.

The man directly in front of him spoke first. "We're looking for someone."

_Looking for someone?_ Tsuna thought to himself. He figured the men were here for Byakuran, which lead him to believe that these men were actually crows in disguise. The brunette tried to figure out what would be the best thing to do, slamming the door in their faces and calling the police seemed promising, but probably not wise.

"We think he could have come by here." The man continued, watching Tsuna's facial expressions and body language. The scrutinizing gaze unsettled the brunette, making him squirm and his heart rate spike.

The human figured that it was better to come clean. Perhaps, if he was honest and told them that the kitsune was no longer there, they would let him off the hook. "He left a while ago."

"So he was here." Tsuna nodded his head softly. The crow further questioned. "Do you know where he went?"

"I have no idea." Tsuna told the taller man, he then ran a hand through his unruly hair, admitting: "He left while I was sleeping."

The man stepped away from the brown haired male's threshold. The brunette released a breath he didn't know he held, believing he was home free. That was until the man said, "You're coming with us."

"W-why? I told you everything I know." The brunette argued, his eyes wide and full of disbelief.

The tall man shook his head, "We have our orders. We were told to bring you into our custody."

The two other men at the speaker's side reached out and grabbed a hold of Tsuna's arms, dragging him out of his apartment with little effort. The bewildered human began desperately fighting against them, but the two men that restrained him, seemed unfazed by his thrashing. Tsuna's fight didn't shake them off balance or even cause them to flex a muscle.

"Y-you can't do this." Tsuna turned back to the one he had spoken to. "I haven't done anything wrong."

Then the human felt pressure on his left arm. Pain shot through him, making him collapse on his knees. The crow who restrained his left arm was not twisting his limb in a painful direction. He then spat at him with distaste. "You helped someone who disgraced our clan."

"But…" Tsuna pleaded, gasping through pain.

"Quiet him. He's causing a scene." A new voice said. Panic ran through the brunette and despite the pain he was suffering, he attempted to free himself. There was a blunt hit to the brunette's head and all his movements came to an end. Everything went numb. The world began to gray, slowly the world darkened into a black abyss as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Somewhere in Tokyo,

The Waterfall was a popular restaurant owned by Jorogumo, Bianchi. It was named Waterfall, because it was based on an old folktale about a spider woman that lived by a waterfall, who saved a man from drowning. Unfortunately, few humans realized that the spider woman was really trying to eat the man instead, of saving him.

The Waterfall was a great attraction for the yokai who lived or visited the city, since it was a place that was concealed by the human eye, the yokai could relax in their true state or even in their human personas and be pampered by the Spider woman's waitresses. Most of the girls that worked at The Waterfall were roped in by the owner's philosophy that, "A way to a man's heart was through his stomach." The female employees ran with the idea, making themselves quite available to flirtation and beyond. However, the restaurant wasn't just opened to male clientele; it was frequently visited by females as well.

Despite, the breaking of dawn, the establishment was packed with drunken and hungry patrons. The late night was when the yokai came out by the handfuls. It wasn't that the yokai were nocturnal, but in the old days it was easier to trick humans and travel. Nowadays their nightly ventures were instilled in them. Out of the patrons to Waterfall, Byakuran managed to receive a lot of attention. As soon as he entered the establishment, he was bombarded with questions, concerns and even praise. His fellow yokai had heard about his row with Hibari's crows and now he was a sort of overnight celebrity.

Although, they didn't know about Tsuna's interference, Byakuran was very modest about the ordeal. He said very little and after a while, everyone grew bored of his secrecy. Which was fine with the Kitsune, he was getting tired of answering the same questions over and over. The ivory kitsune sat at a booth alone, waiting upon his order and also listening to the sounds of the boisterous establishments.

"You really do live life on the wild side." Came a sultry voice. Byakuran looked up meeting the gaze of a dark pink haired woman with emerald irises dressed in a vibrant purple long sleeved kimono. The woman's kimono seemed expensive with high-quality detailing; the cloth had designs of cherry blossoms and spiders, representing her heritage. Her obi was a lighter pink.

"Good morning, Bianchi-chan," The kitsune greeted. He then shook his head with his usual good-humored smirk. "Not really. Sometimes I have spontaneous whims that I don't think thoroughly."

The Spiderwoman placed a plate of four dango, in front of the vulpine patron. "I heard you've been traveling, looking for something."

"That was the rumor going around." Byakuran answered vaguely as he picked up a skewer with the sweet dumplings on them. He pulled off one with his teeth and consumed it before turning back to the patient spider. "I wonder if it's true or not."

"I heard it was the four legendary beasts you were looking for." Bianchi's emerald eyes sharpened, more specific of what she was getting to.

The white haired fox indifferently finished off his skewer, placing the stick on the plate. "Well that would be silly. They have already been reincarnated into another form. It would be a wild goose chase to search for something without knowing what it has become."

The four legendary beasts were power entities, but they were very strong. Any man, yokai would be foolish to go up against them. There was also that whole thing about rupturing the balance of their world. Something Byakuran was once tempted by, but later lost interest in. He had found out early that the legendary beasts no longer held true to their form and instead have taken a new form.

"But I wish I did know where they were located, I would have gained all my tails in no time if that was the case." The patron added.

Bianchi placed a manicured hand on the table, her bright green nail polish glowing. She loomed over the Byakuran. "Just make sure those crows don't come here."

"Of course." Byakuran answered her, but his voice didn't show that he was intimidated rather that he understood her. The crows were kind of like the yakuza. Once they stepped into a place, the atmosphere changed and people started to leave. It was bad for business. Plus, he didn't want his food poisoned on a later visit. Byakuran prided in himself for living as long as he did, because he knew which people he could mess with and avoided confrontations with people he shouldn't dare hassle.

"Enjoy your meal." The beautiful arachnid said sweetly, before walking off to handle other customers.

Not long after Bianchi had left him, Byakuran was visited by another. A blue haired man with a mismatched pair of eyes crept up to the kitsune's table. Without invitation the long haired male seated himself opposite of the lone creature. Crimson and blue irises focused on the white fox and a disdainful smile pulling at his lips. "I hear the crow tengu are after you."

"It is what everyone's talking about." Byakuran retorted as he greeted the newcomer with a bored expression. He then mirrored the other's contemptuous grin. "You would know how that is, wouldn't you, Mukuro-kun?"

The blue haired patron chuckled. "Kufufu. I'm not a stranger to Hibari's ideal threats."

"But you tried to take over as the leader of the crow tengu, didn't you?" reminded the fox. His lilaceous irises focused on the other with inspection. "I think that would be a higher offense than taking a few peaches."

"I nearly succeeded," Mukuro corrected with a hint of an impatient tone. "Don't worry; Hibari does keep a look out for me. Too bad that his crows get devoured before they can report back the news."

Byakuran snickered at this, but only because he knew what Mukuro truly was. His blue headed acquaintance was a bakeneko, a ghost cat. It only seemed natural that such a result would occur when cats and birds came in contact. However, Mukuro shouldn't be underestimated as an ordinary feline. Bakeneko had extraordinary abilities that any household cat would beg for, but most of their skills leaned toward deceit. Most bakeneko targeted influential figures in society, posing as a harmless cat, so that they can devour their gracious hosts and replace them. This was probably Mukuro's aim in attempting to occupy the crow tengu, since Hibari's clan was pretty ancient, still holding a lot of influence in today's government.

"But now I realized the crows aren't as powerful as I first perceived. After all, if their preying after humans now, they must be desperate for power." Mukuro added absentmindedly.

"Humans?" Byakuran questioned with a dash of interest.

"Just a while ago, I saw some of Hibari's crows abduct this human." The feline explained, frowning slightly.

The ivory headed kitsune sipped his tea apathetically, but curiosity ate at him. "Was there anything special with this human?"

"No. He was a mousy little thing." Mukuro responded with a lecherous smirk, remembering the appearance of the human in question. He wasn't bad looking, but he wasn't handsome either.

"Doesn't seem like Kyo-chan's style." Byakuran dismissed with a thoughtful expression. For a moment, the kitsune was distant as if considering something. However, his reverie was short. "But if you're not after Kyo-chan, then whose you're next victim?"

"Kufufu. Nosy aren't we?"

Byakuran pouted. "Don't be a tease, Mukuro-kun."

Finally, the bakeneko divulged his intended target. "An onmyouji."

For an instant the fox spirit was surprised by the other's answer, but it wasn't long before his sardonic attitude returned. "Isn't that hypocritical, Mukuro-kun? Criticizing Kyo-chan for attacking humans, when you're doing exactly the same thing?"

"They're completely different." The feline defended, folding his arms over his chest. "Although mortal, onmyouji have immense spiritual powers."

"Hmmm~" Byakuran hummed lightly with a spirited draw. "I can see how that would be useful to you, but I'm sure you're not going after a novice. A veteran practitioner knows his way around our tricks after all they've been exorcising creatures like us for centuries."

"Remember I'm not a novice, either." The cat assured confidently.

"Yep, you're a long way from that." The snowy haired kitsune acknowledged. Although, he had belittled Mukuro's attempt at conquering the crow tengu, it was not a simple feat. A yokai needed some kind of astonishing skill to live and tell about his bout with Hibari. Even he couldn't say he came out of the predicament unscathed, if it wasn't for Tsuna's help he wouldn't have survived.

"Master," An unenthusiastic cry came from an approaching boy. The boy had light colored green hair and matching eyes. His expression was dejected, despite how urgently he raced up to them. The creature was in human form, but Byakuran was well aware of the other's true form. The boy was a kappa, it was rare for them to be seen outside of bodies of water, but somehow Mukuro managed. "Ken escaped from his leash again."

"You were supposed to be watching him…" The blue haired man scolded the kappa, clawing his face with seemingly human nails, but the markings on the young boy's face looked as if he was cut by sharp blades.

"That hurts, Master." Remarked the green haired boy, but he showed no signs of pain. Actually, the kappa seemed quite relaxed, even with blazing scratches on his face.

Ignoring the act of violence, Byakuran questioned. "Ken? Your ookami acquaintance? He's seems pretty hard to tame."

"Not really…" The blue haired patron said coolly, trying not to lose face in front of the kitsune.

The green haired kappa turned to Byakuran, "No, he's always getting in the way. He keeps us all up at night, howling. He pees on the floor and chases after cars. If Ken wasn't so smitten with Master, he'll probably chase him, too."

"Fran..." Mukuro whispered crossly.

The clueless underling answered, "Yes, master."

The bakeneko demanded. "Bend over."

"You're not going to do anything perverted are you?" The kappa questioned, wary of the other. Byakuran grinned wickedly at the bravado of Fran and also the comedic punishment that would soon follow.

"Just do it, insolent child." Mukuro ordered impatiently.

Fran did what he was asked and suddenly his disguised was dropped, taking the form of a scaly, green creature with a turtle shell and webbed hands and feet. Water that filled the top of his head, spilled out on to the floor. Usually, when this happened to a kappa, they were virtually immobile. As expected Fran was frozen in his current position."Master, I can't move."

Discounting the kappa's dilemma, the bakeneko stood up from his seat and saying good bye to his vulpine associate. "Looks like I have to search for my lost wolf. Until next time."

"Bye." Byakuran said as he watched the cat walk away from his table, leaving his webbed footed companion to fend for himself.

"Master, you're not going to leave me like this." Fran pleaded to the blue haired male, but Mukuro had already left.

Having finished his meal, Byakuran decided to also part. "I guess I should get going, too."

"Fox-san, help me." The kappa turned to the snowy headed kitsune for aid.

"I'm afraid I can't, I'm kind of busy." Byakuran refused as he placed money on the table to cover the food and a bit extra to cover the mess. Without skipping a beat, he left the table and started for the exit. "See ya later."

* * *

Tsuna woke with a splitting headache, probably an aftershock from the blow to his head. His hands went up to hold his head as the painful throbbing started. When his ache subsided, he opened his eyes to his new surroundings. He was lying down in a room of tatami mats. The mats were on the floor, the ceiling and even the walls. There were no doors or windows, just a room. The brunette looked around bewildered wondering how he had been placed in a room with no way, seemingly, in or out.

The brunette found out his answer, when he heard something against the walls. The right wall began to move budge—no, only a piece of it. An outline of what appeared to be a door sliced though the wall. The door opened revealing another crow in a human form. Although the other's statue and countenance were daunting, Tsuna didn't feel as if this person meant him any harm. He seemed calmer than the other crows he encountered; perhaps it was the straw sticking out the side of his mouth or the purplish bruise on the side of his face that beckoned his sympathy.

"Sorry about this." The crow apologized, which surprised Tsuna. This morning the other crows had made it seem as if he had done some horrible crime and he deserved what was coming to him. "But our leader's orders are absolute."

"Well I shouldn't have butted in." Tsuna said with a rueful smile. Although, he knew helping Byakuran was giving him a ton of trouble, if he had the chance to do it over, Tsuna knew that every time he would probably help. That was just the person he was.

"What's going to happen to me?" Tsuna asked. He didn't want to know, personally. The situation seemed grimmer the longer he was awake. Here he was kidnapped by the crow tengu, marked as some criminal and trapped in this tatami prison. Knowing all this, it was difficult for the brunette to be positive.

The man looked down momentarily before he looked up, meeting the brunette's worried gaze. "That is up to our leader."

"Then I'll just explain the whole thing to him and maybe…" Tsuna began an optimistic thought but stopped himself. He already knew the answer. His grandfather had told him tales about people being "spirited away". People who were kidnapped by the yokai, never returned. The brunette knew his fate, even without asking. He was going to die. The leader was going have him killed and he would be another person that had gone missing. If his grandfather saw him now, he would be disappointed.

Kusakabe saw the human's distress, he felt guilty this had befallen Tsuna. However, there wasn't much they could do in proving the human's innocence and they were no closer to locating the kitsune. "Is there anything I can do? Are you hungry?"

_Unless you can find Byakuran, so I can punch him…_ Tsuna thought bitterly. He was already on the second stage of coping with death, Anger. He sighed calming down. Being angry wouldn't help things and this person was trying to help. He smiled a little at Kusakabe. "I am hungry."

The older man promptly turned on his heels and leaving the cell. "I'll have something prepared."

Tsuna watched the other disappear through the camouflaged door. Once Kusakabe was gone, the human was alone with his own thoughts. Thanks to a meeting with a kitsune, he was now on death row or something like it. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he would be in a mess. He had lived a normal life, grew up with loving parents and he did okay in academics. After high school, he decided to go out into the workforce since he wasn't college material and got a menial job as a dishwasher at a restaurant. Speaking of which, he was probably missing his shift right now. His point was that things like this never happened to Average Joe like himself.

It wasn't long before Kusakabe had returned bringing a tray of food with him. Somehow the sight of good food lifted Tsuna's spirits a bit. The brunette ate earnestly, but his mind wandered. The food was delicious, but his impending doom placed a damper on the savory dish. However, the food helped him formulate an idea. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was better to try something, instead of moping around in his cell.

It seemed the only way out was through that camouflaged door. Obviously, it wasn't possible to open it from his end, but if he could hold door ajar, he could escape. The brunette figured he could utilize the lacquered chopsticks that he used to eat with. It was a small enough utensil that Kusakabe wouldn't miss or notice its absence. Tsuna decided that he would implement his plan when Kusakabe left. He hoped his plan would work; it was the only thing he could think of.

Tsuna slipped the chopsticks into the back pocket of his pants, when the bruised crow returned for his empty dishes. "Is there anything else I could do?"

"Thank you for the meal. It was very delicious." The brunette shook his head softly. "I think I want to be alone."

Kusakabe nodded his head and headed out. Tsuna slowly came to his feet, his brown eyes set on the back of Kusakabe. He watched as the other opened the door and slipped through to the other side. As the door slowly closed behind him, the brunette crept quickly to catch the slither of a chance. The human raced over to the door, fumbling to get the chopsticks out from their hiding place. He dropped one on the floor but ignored it; the door was going to disappear into the wall if he stopped. In a split second, the brunette leapt forward extending the stick forward, praying his poor hand-eye coordination wouldn't rear its ugly head. The human crashed onto the floor roughly, making him ache, but he ignored the dulling pain to see if he had made it. His eyes looked up to the corner of the door and saw that the tool had succeeded. The lacquered stick was able to act as wedge, keeping the door for fully closing.

The brunette got to his knees, going back for second chopstick that had fallen and inserting it into the small creak he had made. With both sticks, he used them as a leverage to open the door wider. He pushed the door open enough for him to slip through. Tsuna's feet stepped into cool woodened floors of a long hallway. On each side of the walls were doors lined up. The uniform arrangement of the hallway gave the brunette the impression of a jailhouse, except the steels bars were replaced with wooden doors with numbers written on them. The brunette closed his cell behind him, hiding the evidence of his escape by placing the chopsticks back into his pants. He then softly walked along the hallway, the human was unsure of which direction he should go, but he was too frightened to stay in one place. He didn't want to get caught for being immobile. The brunette was cautious as he walked around, listening for sounds and footsteps. He was also careful enough not to make too much noise either. Somehow, the hall led him outside. The building he resided was separate from the main house that was in front of him.

In the distance was a large peach tree, larger than any one he had ever seen. The trunk and branches were dark, thick and strong. The flowers that was in full bloom seemed vibrant and delicate against the brawny bark and the peaches hidden within the petals of peach blossoms, looked juicy. He could feel his mouth water as he ogled one particular peach and he understood why so many were tempted to take from the tree, even if they would be assailed after. The tree had this otherworldly radiance, making the human believe that it actually could prolong one's life. It was unbelievable that such a magnificent thing could exist in the polluted metropolitan and still maintain its vivacity.

Tsuna snapped out of his spellbound trance as he felt something fall on top of his head. His eyes lifted upward in an attempt to see the same yellow bird that perched on top of his head. The bird then screeched. "He escaped! He escaped!"

* * *

It was a gut feeling that brought Byakuran back to the human's place. He had a feeling that Mukuro was speaking of Tsuna being abducted by the crows. He hid his suspicions from Mukuro only because the feline wasn't the most trustworthy. So, the fox spirit returned to poked around the human's dwelling. He noted the door was open upon his arrival, something humans normally didn't do. They kept their doors lock to prevent robberies and unwanted guests. He entered Tsuna's apartment and noticed that it was, in fact, deserted. The brunette's bed wasn't made nor was the extra futon, Byakuran had used the night before, placed away. The dishes they used the previous night were still in the sink. However, these trivial things didn't bring Byakuran to the conclusion of Tsuna's abduction. It was more plausible to assume that Tsuna could have been in a hurry and left all these things like this. He didn't seem like the tidiest human he's met.

It wasn't until the Reynard left the brunette's place that his suspicions were justified by an ebony feather he saw outside of the Tsuna's apartment. It wasn't an ordinary feather, this one was laced with a power that the fox spirit associated with the crows. They had definitely taken him.

"Tsunayoshi-kun is probably very angry with me." The kitsune remarked to himself as he twirled around the feather with his fingers.

If it was any other creature, they would ignore Tsuna's plight, but Byakuran was a kitsune and he belonged to very moralistic breed. Sure, their sense of values was not the same as humans, but abandoning someone who had helped them went against their moral code. It was bad manners, bad character. Byakuran figured that he would be punished by karma, severely, if he didn't lend a hand to the brunette.

"I guess there's no choice then," The white haired fox concluded as he went off toward Hibari's estate. "I'll have to pay Kyo-chan another visit."

* * *

_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ Tsuna rebuked himself as he ran away from a flock of crows and the small bird perched on his head, kept egging on its comrades. "Over here! Over here!"

Tsuna entered the main house in hopes of finding a place he could hide. He knew that he wouldn't be able to outrun them. He sucked at things that asked him to physically exert himself and he was really overdoing it today. The human leapt into a random room, closing the paper door shut behind him. He took a few breaths in to ease his burning lungs.

"Over her-" Finally, the brunette plucked the tiny nuisance from his mane, enclosing the creature within his hands. He stilled as he heard a group of thundering footsteps rush by and when they left, he thought he was safe.

"What are you doing here?" An authoritative voice inquired from behind him.

The brunette blanched as he twisted around slowly to meet the speaker. His large caramel eyes met an icy blue-gray gaze. An ebony haired man sat behind a large desk. To the human he looked like a human, just with power and a higher form of etiquette. Tsuna was stricken with speechlessness; he wasn't able to answer the man because he felt this overwhelming power from him. The force placed goose bumps on his skin and raised the hairs on his neck. What he felt was not simply hatred or anger, but blood lust. It was scary, how a person could ignite such fear in him. Given he was a scaredy cat at the best of times, but this was unlike anything he had felt.

The brunette's hands went slack allowing the yellow bird to fly out from his hands and go to the dark haired male. "Hibari! Hibari!"

A sinking feeling consumed Tsuna, when the feathered pest revealed the identity of the man. No wonder he was so afraid of the crow tengu leader, he was the one who ordered his abduction and now, held his life in the palm of his hands. There was something that told him to leave, that it was too dangerous for him to remain. The human spun around and went for the door. Before the brunette could even place his hand on the door, he felt Hibari's presence at his back and a pale hand was placed onto the door. "I asked you a question."

Chapter end

* * *

Notes (found simplified version on Wikipedia):

The four legendary beasts – I'm sure you heard of Suzaku, the Vermillion bird of the south, Seiryuu, the Azure dragon of the east, Byakko, the White Tiger of the west and lastly Genbu, the Black tortoise (and snake) of the north. In the center is the yellow dragon, Kouryou. They've been used a lot in Japanese pop culture, but were originally used as a Chinese constellation system.

Onmyouji – A kind of magician or wizard known for using divination and magic, but they are known for combating vengeful spirits especially in manga and anime. A famous onmyouji is Abe no Seimei, where a lot of media has been focused on him. It was also rumored that Abe no Seimei was the child of a kitsune and a human, which gave him supernatural powers.

Dango – Japanese dumplings made out of rice flour. They sometimes come in different assorted flavors like red bean, green tea or egg . Sometimes they are served with condiments such as syrup or sesame seeds.

The Spiderwoman and the waterfall – there are many variations of the story about the Spiderwoman at the Joren waterfall. I used the one, in which the Spiderwoman saved a man from drowning and was revered. However, the same tale has been told with Spiderwoman bewitching the men she comes in contact with and the men undergo some tragedy, whether drowning, never waking up again or being eaten.

Kappa- A type of water sprite with a humanoid appearance, they normally stay in bodies of water or by bridges. The kappa is rumored to eat human children and sometimes adults. There are two ways to stop a kappa, making him bow to spill the water from his head, immobilizing them or scaring them with fire.

Bakeneko- Literally meaning ghost cat, they are a shape shifter yokai that have very similar powers to a kitsune, except their main aim is taking a human's place in society. They also have been rumored to reanimate corpses or enter people's dreams.

Ookami- is the Japanese word for wolf, but also is used for the wolf spirit. They are benign creatures that are used to protect shrines or villages. Ookami are usually very hard to tame, but if one can they are loyal companions.

Tatami mat cell/room- The room Tsuna was imprisoned in, derived from a scene in _XXXHolic: A Midsummer Night's Dream_, in which the protagonist, Watanuki, is trying to find the bathroom in an elaborate estate and finds himself in such a room.

* * *

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm so happy that this story is being well received. When I was beginning to write this story, I was so panicky about whether people would like it, but decided to publish it because I really wanted to write it (there's not enough 10027). So far, I see everyone is enjoying the idea. Thank you for the support and I hope I can continue to entertain you!


	4. Onmyouji

Kitsunetsuki

Beta read by Dragonlady2000_15

Chapter Four: Onmyouji

The study was quiet, like it should be. The Tengu leader liked the silence. Noise irritated him, plus it was disorderly. So it was well known among his subordinates that any kind of reckless commotion was disconcerting to him. Hibari thought that was understood by his crows until he heard the thunderous pounding against the floorboards. The ebony headed tengu looked up from his work, when the door to his study opened abruptly and then was closed just as suddenly. He was surprised to see a brunette human, leaning against the paper door, releasing laboring breaths. Hibari sat quietly, since the human didn't noticed him.

"Over her-" was his canary's muted shriek, before it was enclosed within the runaway's hands. The tengu leader watched the human as he quieted when a couple of footsteps raced pass the door, Hibari figured was his crows searching for the brunette. It was a rule of his for them to only enter the house in human appearance, instead of in their feathered forms.

After the footsteps died down, he decided to announce himself. "What are you doing here?"

Hibari watched the startled human as he slowly turned to face him. Their eyes met and it was like the human was stricken with rigor mortis. He saw the way he quivered just by being under his gaze. _Weak_, Hibari labeled the human. All humans were feeble creatures, afterall.

"Hibari! Hibari!" Hibird was able to free himself from the human's hold and perched itself on a nearby bookshelf.

The Tengu leader was first to notice the recollection within the brunette's irises. The human knew his name. Surprisingly, the human gained some guts, releasing himself from his rigidity and attempting to leave his study. Hibari wasn't having it. Not only did the human trespass into his study, gawking at him while ignoring his question, the disrespectful human was attempting to leave in cowardice. The ebony headed man stood up from his chair and in a flash, he was at the brunette's back. He placed a firm hand on the door, hindering the brunette from leaving. "I asked you a question."

"Y-you kidnapped me." Tsuna slinked away from tengu leader, watching Hibari with fearful eyes. The avian yokai followed the brunette as he stopped in the center of the room. The brunette squared his shoulder and bravely requested. "I-I want you to let me go."

"No." The tengu leader answered. His face emotionless and his voice lacked sensitivity.

"B-but I haven't done anything wrong." Tsuna argued, clenching his hands into fists.

Hibari turned to face Tsuna, his back to the door, blocking the human's only exit. "Your actions against the crow tengu are intolerable."

The brunette shook his head, back and forth. "I haven't done anything to your clan."

The tengu leader's steel blue eyes burned into the human, making the smaller of two shiver. "You stopped the arrest of a criminal, making you an accomplice to his crime."

Tsuna figured that arguing for his justice would get him nowhere. So he decided to go by another method, perhaps if he bargained with Hibari, he would reconsider. Hopefully. "I didn't mean any harm to you or your clan. If there is anything I could do to fix this…"

"There isn't." Hibari dismissed.

_No way. This is completely unfair._ Tsuna was completely taken aback by how uncompromising the tengu leader was. His face was a mixture of emotions. He felt afraid for what was to come next. Disappointed that the outcome wasn't how he wished. Angry because Hibari was so unyielding and hopeless since there was nothing more he could do.

The avian yokai studied Tsuna's distraught face and smirked, "Were you expecting a trial?"

_I keep forgetting._ Tsuna thought as he gazed at the other. He had been too naïve to believe that he would actually get justice from a creature that wasn't even human. _Even though they have human faces, bodies, expressions…it's only a persona. Underneath it all, they're monsters._

The brunette felt the cold metal against his neck, his honey colored eyes widened as he realized a tonfa was placed to his throat. He then realized that tengu leader was right in front of him, standing over him with his tonfas drawn and ready to annihilate him. "I'll administer your punishment now."

Tsuna closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the death blow. However, after moments of anticipating a strike that never came, the scared human opened his eyes. Hibari was still in front of him with a single tonfa raised, but frozen. The dark haired tengu studied him, staring down at his face.

"You look like **that** man." Hibari started, peering at the cowering human before him. "Why do you look like Ieyasu Sawada?"

Tsuna went from scared to perplex in a smooth transition. "H-how do you know my grandfather?"

Hibari became silent. He didn't want to reveal to Tsuna what happened between him and his grandfather. The crow tengu placed away his tonfas and went to his desk. Tsuna watched the other, contemplating whether he should take this chance to run for the hills. Then again Hibari was pretty fast, he wouldn't even make it to the door.

"I'll pardon all your crimes, if you take me to him." Hibari finally said flatly, bringing Tsuna out of his reverie.

"Huh?" Tsuna uttered. He was even more puzzled than before. At first, Hibari seemed unrelenting about his punishment, now the mention of his grandfather made him willing for bargain? Now he was even more curious why his grandfather was so important to the crow yokai. "Do you have business to settle with him?"

Hibari looked to Tsuna. "I want to kill him."

"Kill?" Tsuna shrieked. His grandfather was the gentlest person he knew, why would anyone want to kill him? The human tensed when he heard a soft knock on the door. Hibari held his pose, looking over his shoulder to the door that slid open.

"Kyo-san!" Kusakabe said urgently as he stood outside the room. The retainer's eyes looked to Hibari. He then realized that the brunette prisoner was there as well. He was surprised to see Tsuna out of his cell, but since Hibari hadn't beaten him with his tonfas yet, that meant he was okay with it for now. Kusakabe cleared his throat, turning back to his leader. "He's back."

* * *

Byakuran stood in front of the crow tengu's peach tree. The kitsune was right underneath a few branches of the magnificent tree. His back was turned to the murder of crows that had rallied around the tree. Still, the fox spirit seemed interested in the tree rather than the icy welcome he was shown. Finally, he turned to the group of feathered fury. "Nice to know everyone came to greet me. I just hope the head of the household is as cordial."

"Ah, here they come." Byakuran said as he looked passed the group of the gathered crow tengu to see a couple of people exiting from the main house. The tengu leader, his loyal retainer and the human headed for the crowd. The group of Hibari's underlings separated to give their leader space and to situate him in the middle. Kusakabe and Tsuna lingered in the back.

"Have you come to turn yourself in?" Hibari questioned as he eyed the smiling fox.

"No," The vulpine yokai answered blithely. "Why would I do a silly thing like that?"

The tengu leader's unsmiling face didn't see the humor. "Then you're here for that human?"

The ivory kitsune looked to Tsuna and then returned his gaze to Hibari. "Well I do owe him a favor, but I really enjoy our interactions, Kyo-chan."

"I've heard enough." Hibari concluded and the crows began closing in on the snowy haired intruder.

"Nah ah." Byakuran said waving a single finger. The single action halted the movements of the black birds. The cunning fox pulled out something from his clothing. It was a feathered fan, each feather a different color and it was decorated with beads and the handle was made of a hard wood. To Tsuna, it seemed like an ordinary fan, but the object brought about a flabbergasted response from the tengu. "Don't be too hasty. I would hate if this was damaged."

"Where did you get that?" One crow cried out.

"Found it." Byakuran mused, tapping the fan on his left shoulder idly.

Another shouted. "Impossible! That fan was sealed under many wards. There is no way you could have gotten it."

"I thought I felt an itch." The Kitsune said pensively, causing some to shuffle uncomfortable, even angrily. "You didn't think I just came to steal a few peaches, did you? The tengu fan was my main target and I managed to steal it under all your noses."

"It's probably a fake." A different cry came from the flock of crows.

"Really~?" The white kitsune hummed with amusement, before he looked to the crowd audaciously. "Do you want me to test it out?"

With one swing of the fan, gusts of winds crashed into the flock. The strong winds caused Tsuna and Kusakabe to cover their eyes. And if it wasn't for Kusakabe's firm grip on him, he would have been pushed down by the vicious . The wind around them died down and the brunette was able to lower his hands. His brown eyes widened as he saw that the wind that Byakuran had created from the tengu fan had sucked the crow tengu into a cyclone, twisting and turning Hibari's subordinates within the whirlwind. The strong gales dispersed into the atmosphere, taking the avian yokai with them. The only proof of their presence was the ebony feathers that rained down the estate. The only one left was Hibari, who was seemingly unfazed by the wind.

Nonetheless, Byakuran held his hand out, allowing a black feather to fall into his palm. His hand closed around the weightless quill. "I think they would agree that this is no fake."

"I'll bite you to death." Said the tengu leader stated coldly, his weapons out as he raced toward the fox. Byakuran just waited for the onslaught, a humored smirk still on his lips. Hibari used his right tonfa to hit the fox squarely in the chest. The blow connected, but it didn't hit the cunning fox, it hit the tengu fan, instead. Immediately upon contact, the tengu fan transformed into a broken branch from the peach tree, the branch crumbled within the fox's hand, unable to hold up against the power of the tengu's strike.

"The fan…" Kusakabe murmured surprised that the fan that Byakuran possessed was actually a sham.

_But the wind? _Tsuna thought to himself, equally stunned by the turn of events. Even if the fan was bogus, why was Byakuran able to create such a large wind and blow all of Hibari's subordinates away?

As if able to read Kusakabe and Tsuna's confusion, Byakuran replied. "Of course it wasn't real. There was no way I could get a hold of the tengu fan. All those wards and booby traps. Too much trouble."

He then continued to beam pleasantly at Hibari, who had daggers (or should we say tonfas) in his eyes. "I knew I couldn't fool you, Kyo-chan."

The wind was merely an illusion created by Byakuran. At first, Hibari had been deceived and almost allowed himself to be carried away by the fabricated air currents, but he realized that the wind carried a familiar fragrance. It was the smell of the peach blossoms. Hibari was able to break the spell and evade getting caught up in the kitsune's delusion. Of course, Byakuran knew this would happen; Hibari wouldn't be leader if he fell for such a trick.

Hibari then proceeded to attacking the fox spirit usingwith his left tonfa. The kitsune swiftly dodged the incoming attack. The tengu leader followed by doing an uppercut, narrowly missing Byakuran's chin by a millimeter and the fox spirit skirted a blow to his abdomen by twisting around, evading the strike. "You're still it, Kyo-chan. Try to tag me out." The white haired trickster said teasingly.

**At the same time**

"That was way too easy." The kitsune commented as he leisurely strolled away from the estate unhurriedly.

The brunette human was a few steps behind him, looking back at the crow tengu compound. He couldn't imagine that he just escaped from there and as easily as Byakuran had put it. In truth Byakuran and Tsuna, the real ones, had been swept away by the wind just as the Hibari's subordinates had. Unbeknownst to Hibari or even his retainer, the two had successfully sneaked off. The tengu leader was not fighting Byakuran, but a product of his fox fire and Kusakabe was babysitting a single black feather taking the form of Tsuna.

"Wouldn't he find out?" Tsuna asked Byakuran has he turned back to the snow headed male.

"Kyo-chan is too impulsive to realize it off the bat. I planned it that my doppelganger would lose in the fight, so he could put us both to death. Then we'll have him off our backs for a while." Byakuran explained. "But when he finds out, he'll be really upset."

Tsuna wondered how long a while was. The human looked back at the estate, as if he was expecting Hibari and his crows sprout up any moment. To Tsuna's relief, it didn't happen, but every now and then he would look back just to make sure.

The trip back to Tsuna's apartment was somber, they didn't speak. Mainly because Tsuna's mind had wandered away and although the kitsune had bragged how easy it all was, he was exhausted from the whole ordeal. However, his slight fatigue did not stop him from noticing the human's detachment. Being as perceptive as he was, the kitsune figured that the abduction had put a toll on the brunette. Byakuran waited to say something until Tsuna was back within his homeplace.

"Let it out." The snow haired reynard said suddenly.

Tsuna woke out of his stupor, just realizing he was back at his home. He turned to the other, "Huh?"

"You've been through a very traumatic experience. Of course, you have things on your chest."

"…." The human didn't say anything, but Byakuran could clearly see the unsettled feelings on the other's face.

"It's not good to have things pent up inside. Come on, yell, rant, and allow those feelings out." The kitsune encouraged with his usual smirk.

Tsuna glared at the vulpine yokai. "Well, I'm angry at you for leaving me."

Byakuran chuckled. "That's a start.~"

"No, you abandoned me!" The brunette continued his voice higher than usual as he began to pace back and forth. "And those crows came looking for you…they called me a criminal, twisting my arm…telling me there was nothing I could do about it."

Byakuran face sobered as he allowed the human to vent and explain to him what he endured at Hibari's. Somehow, through the brunette's tirade, the kitsune had not cracked a smile. His face was neutral and he seemed to be listening to Tsuna's words.

"They were going to kill me. They were really going to kill me…" Tsuna halted; the anger ebbed out of him and was then replaced by sadness. All his emotions build up within his being and got stuck in his throat. The brunette lowered his head and became very silent. He could no longer speak about it; the memory playback was enough for him. He clenched his fists at his side, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

The fox spirit watched the human's transition from furious to being deeply upset. Byakuran went over the brunette, he was careful not to alarm the other in his fragile state. When it seemed as if Tsuna wasn't bothered by his presence, the kitsune decided to console him.

"Tsunayoshi-kun must have been very scared." Said Byakuran as he placed a hand on top of Tsuna's head and soothingly ran his fingers through the other's seemingly unruly hair. The ivory fox wasn't surprised that the human was brought to tears. It was a very normal reaction to their world. In most human television shows and movies, stepping into the world of the yokai was usually portrayed as adventurous and extraordinary, but it was really the opposite. Yokai were dangerous creatures. For a long time, humans and yokai could not stay in the same room without one, usually the human, being killed. Tsuna was very lucky that he was alive. "Yokai are cruel and ruthless. You should remember that."

The brown haired human subconsciously leaned into the other's touch. So far, Byakuran was one of the few yokai to show him kindness. He trusted him enough not to eat him, at least. Tsuna turned to the kitsune, his eyes wide and full of terror. "What if they come back?"

Understandably, Byakuran knew Tsuna would fear this occurring again and there was a high probability that being abducted by yokai could happen once more. There was nothing he could say to prevent this, but he was sure there was something he could do.

"Well, some would say this is my fault…" The Kitsune trailed off, removing his hand from the brunette's head.

Tsuna gave the kitsune a stern look. "It _is_ your fault."

"Are you still on that, Tsunayoshi-kun? That was so a few hours ago. That's all in the past now. What's important is the present." Byakuran started. He then grinned as the intensity of Tsuna's glare grew. This was the kitsune's aim, he rather the human be angry at him, then sad about the events that had already transpired. He then got to his proposal. "I still haven't repaid you for the other day. So I guess I'll have to protect you from the big bad yokai."

"Seems like a lie." Said the human. Tsuna didn't believe Byakuran would protect him if Hibari or if any other preternatural creature wanted to harm him.

"Doesn't it?" Byakuran's grin widened, not denying that such a promise seemed a bit unbelievable coming from a trickster like him, but the fox was very serious in his claim. "But once a kitsune gives his word, he has to keep it."

Tsuna peered into the smiling kitsune's face. He still didn't believe him, but somehow he was comforted by what Byakuran said. After all, the fox spirit did come to rescue him, risking his own life. He was grateful for that. "I'm holding you to it."

The Kitsune waved a hand, nonchalantly. "Don't worry; we just formed a verbal contract. If I break it, I die. And I kind of like living so, no problems there."

_I wouldn't be so carefree about that?_ Tsuna exclaimed to himself. "I didn't know it was that serious. Plus, you barely know me."

"Promises are taken very seriously, you know." Byakuran informed, there were greater force in the universe than karma. But yokai were very generous when it came to returning a favor. It was rare for any yokai to help another, let alone a human to come to their aid. However, when it did occur, yokai usually rewarded their saviors handsomely. Yet, yokai gifts weren't anything petty and small as pocket change, or setting up people on dates with opposite sex (yes, it happens.), they awarded the big stuff; infinite knowledge, protection for all your ancestors, wealth that your great grandchildren can spend frivolously in the distant future and sometimes a solution to incurable illness.

"And I know you. Your name is Sawada Tsunayoshi. You're a human that can't cook, can see the yokai and gets himself into a lot of trouble. I think I know you pretty well, Tsunayoshi-kun~."

Tsuna ignored that, not because he didn't care or he didn't want to stoop to Byakuran's level, but he couldn't object to the other's observation of him. So far it was very true. Still, the brunette felt that the kitsune was making a pledge to a complete stranger. However, the brunette considered that the world would be a better place if people kept their promises. Then again if things came up, things they couldn't control, then it would be a bit extreme to be so unforgiving. He would hate to die just because something silly obstructed him for fulfilling his promise. Tsuna then remembered something. "Hieeee! I'm late for work!"

The snowy fox watched the human frantically raced around his apartment, trying to prepare himself for work. To Byakuran it was very entertaining to watch Tsuna dance and wiggle around the small apartment as if he was possessed by a specter. "Are you well enough to go in?" Byakuran questioned.

"I think so." Tsuna said, pulling a clean shirt over his head. Thanks to their conversation, the human didn't feel as bad about the whole situation.

"Better hurry then." The kitsune said as he began heading for the door.

"Are you going somewhere?" The brunette asked curiously as he watched the snow headed male exit.

Byakuran looked over his shoulder at the brunette. "Hmmm~ is that an invitation to stay?"

Tsuna shook his head rapidly. "No, I'm sure you have your own stuff to do. I wouldn't ask you to do that."

"I'll be back to tuck you in tonight." The ivory fox spirit said as he sauntered over to the russet headed human. Byakuran then brought his mouth to the other's ear and whispered. "Tsu~na~yo~shi~kun~."

Tsuna reddened hearing each syllable of his name breathed against the shell of his ear. The human became flustered, stammering to get his words out and backing up from Byakuran, creating a distance between them. "I-I didn't mean it that way!"

Byakuran simpered at the brunette. "You're late for work, remember?"

A wave of recognition crashed over Tsuna and he speedily went back to dressing for work. "Do whatever you want!" Tsuna said as he placed on his shoes and raced out of his apartment.

"Have fun~" Byakuran followed him out, watching the brunette dash down the street. Once the human was out of sight, the fox spirit's body gave up in response to all the energy he had spent. He leaned against the apartment complex for support and tried to limit his movements while he regained himself. Just dealing with Hibari took a lot out of him. Mostly because he was combat shy. He wasn't good at fights, he was more of strategist. So that was why he eluded fights as much as possible. However, getting out of fighting Hibari directly had its price. It wasn't easy fabricating all those illusions, especially the one that entertained Hibari while they escaped. He didn't say anything to Tsuna, mainly because he knew the other would not be comfortable with it. Luckily, he had a back up. If there was no one else he could rely on, he had other people who wouldn't mind the exchange.

The snowy reynard took out a white phone from his pants pocket and began to dial a number by memory. He placed the device by his ear and waited.

"Who is it?" A grouchy yet young sounding voice answered the call.

Byakuran wasn't troubled by the acid in the other's voice, because he knew it wasn't intended toward him. This person would never speak to him in such a way. "Did I catch you at a bad time, Bluebell?"

Expectedly, the voice became sugary and enthusiastic. "Of course not! I thought you were somebody disgusting and stupid!"

"Well, I'm not any of those thankfully." The kitsune replied, "But the reason I'm calling is because I need you…now."

"Where are you? I'll meet you there." Bluebell asked.

Byakuran hesitated in answering. His lavender eyes looked to Tsuna's door and then he pushed himself off the wall, walking onto the street. "I rather met you at the usual place."

* * *

Hibari watched the bright orange flames dance in front of him. His steel blue eyes glared at what was once the ivory haired fox's mirror image. The tengu leader had presumed that he had killed the fox, but soon after he had claimed victory, the body combusted into a flame. Fox fire. All Hibari could remark about being duped by the reynard yet again was: "That kitsune is irritating."

"Kyo-san, do you want us to go after them?" Kusakabe offered as he watched his leader stared into the small blaze.

"No." Hibari simply said. There was no need to go after them. He had merely let them go and now they were indebted to him. He let them live in order to locate Ieyasu, a person more worthy of his attention.

The tengu leader placed a pale hand on his chest that began to ache. Ever since he saw that human, he was reminded of his encounter with his grandfather. Years ago, they had met in the mountains. Ieyasu had to be a boy nonot older than ten, but he was already well known in the mountains for the exorcism of demons and vengeful spirits. Even at a young age as he was very strong, but he was also very mischievous and that was how their paths crossed.

Ieyasu was teasing a couple of mountain sprites, which caught Hibari's attention. He confronted Ieyasu, naturally, and surprisingly the onmyouji didn't back down. He fearlessly engaged in a test of strength with Hibari, which resulted in the crow tengu getting burned severely by a talisman meant to be used on a demon. Of course, the burn couldn't be healed and has been a constant reminder of his lost. For decades, the tengu leader had wanted a rematch with onmyouji and he hadn't been able to trace him. Now he was presented with the chance of finally settling his score with Ieyasu by using his grandson to locate him. That was the only reason the human and the infuriating fox were still allowed to live.

* * *

"Why did I say that?" Tsuna said to himself. He still couldn't get over how he reacted toward Byakuran. _Why did I have say, "do whatever you want", now he probably thinks I really wanted him to stay._

The distressed human tried not to think too much of it. The kitsune probably didn't care or thought it was amusing. Tsuna walked up to the Haneuma, the restaurant he worked at. Despite its name, it was a very respectable place. A lot of families and students came to the place. The latter group probably came because the owner was handsome and charismatic. Once the brunette walked in, Tsuna was immediately confronted by a man, a couple of years older than him with golden hair and chocolate colored eyes.

"You're late, Tsuna. I'm going to have to punish you." The Blonde owner took a hold of the brunette's cheeks, pinching and stretching the skin.

The brunette began to tear up from the torture. "Di-Di-Dino-san!"

Dino released Tsuna's face, leaving the brunette's cheeks sore and red. Tsuna began to rub at them to dull down the stinging. "I hope you learned your lesson."

"It wasn't my fault. I was tied up with personal stuff." Tsuna said in his defense. Although, he wanted to tell his boss that he had been kidnapped by the crow tengu, he was sure the other wouldn't have believed him.

"It's okay, Tsuna. I'm not holding it against you." The blonde assured his employee. "We were not that busy today anyway."

"Good, but I'm sorry for coming in late."

"It's fine, it's fine. You'll make up later. The rush hour customers will be coming in soon enough,though."

Tsuna nodded and headed for the kitchen. Enma and he usually worked in the back. It was mostly about damage control, rather than the position they chose. When they had first started as waiters, it was a disaster. They messed up orders and even if they got the correct orders, it ended up on the floor somehow. But Dino never gave up on them, he believed that they were good workers and made them into dishwashers. Actually, it turned out that they liked doing that better than serving people.

Tsuna entered the kitchen, greeting the chefs as he went by. The human spotted his best friend in the usual spot over the sink doing the dishes. Enma had short crimson hair and eyes. There was a bandage always on the other's nose, Tsuna figured was for style. The brunette was quick to realize the new bandages on Enma's chin and wrist. The other had his head down as he concentrated on a particular dish.

"Good afternoon, Enma." Tsuna greeted as he approached the other boy.

The quiet boy looked up from his work and acknowledged Tsuna. "You're late."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you what happened." Tsuna began as he placed on his gloves and apron.

"Why is your face red?" The other said meekly as he continued to scrub a dish clean.

The brunette took his post next to Enma, plunging his hands into the murky and soapy water. He then searched the bottom of the sink for unwashed plates and utensils. "Dino pinched my cheeks because I was late." Tsuna replied.

"Oh." Enma uttered softly in response. "He did that to me once."

"Oh yea, when you broke all those dishes, right?" Tsuna smiled.

Enma nodded softly and laughed a little. "Didn't you break more than me, though?"

"I think he let me off the hook when he dropped that whole case of drinking glasses." Tsuna said, reminiscing about their experiences at the restaurant. Perhaps, Dino sympathized with the both of them because they were just as clumsy as he was.

However, a need surfaced in Tsuna. He wanted to share his experience with Enma, after all they were best friends since middle school and they rarely kept anything from each other. The brunette viewed Enma as his confidant, because he knew the other would listen and wouldn't judge him. "Enma, do you believe in spirits and stuff?"

Chapter End

* * *

Notes

Tengu Fan- The most valuable treasure of all Tengu, held by the leader of Tengu, Soujoubou. It is said to create gusts of wind with one swipe. The fan is made of feathers.

Ieyasu- The name Giotto took on when he immigrated to Japan in the KHR manga and anime. Except in this story, Ieyasu is not Italian, he's a very powerful Japanese onmyouji and Tsuna's grandfather…not his great-great-great-great grandfather.

Haneuma – means Mad Horse, but it was also used for Dino's Italian nickname "Bucking Bronco".

* * *

Author's note: I know the interaction with Hibari was kind of anti-climatic, but I wrote this scene multiple times. Either Byakuran got his ass handed to him and there was no solution or somehow Hibari was defeated, which I don't think is believable. I choose the way I ended it here better, because I felt it was more in character ( and gives Hibari the reason to potentially stalk or pursue Tsuna, if he wanted to).Thank you for reading my story thus far and please review my work. A little encouragement goes a long way. Thank you Dragonlady2000_15 for checking this chapter.


	5. Ningyo

Kitsunetsuki

Chapter Five: Ningyo

beta read by Dragonlady2000_15

Warnings: Implied sex

Author's Note: Firstly, in the last chapter there were some questions about the spelling of Giotto's Japanese name. From most of my sources, Ieyasu, the spelling I have used in last chapter is the correct one. If you're not convinced, take a look at Tsuna's family tree in the first chapter of the Reborn manga. Secondly, the supposed "sex" scene between Byakuran and Bluebell is not here, because smut is hard enough to write. Especially for two characters you don't like together. No offense Byakuran/Bluebell lovers out there.

Byakuran entered room six of the _Aphrodite._ The Aphrodite was a love hotel, infamous for its frequent clients from the Shibuya nightlife. The white haired kitsune looked about the room. There wasn't much about the room, just a large bed that took up most of it. The room also held a nightstand and a shaded light. There were three doors, one of which was the entrance, the second door belonged to the bathroom and last; a closet for those who slept over. There were no windows, but there were mirrors. Large mirrors positioned at certain angles. Though it was faint, he could feel all sorts of energies from this very room. There were a lot of residual feelings as well; passions, desires, pain and dread were all present and were anchored to this place.. Places like this delighted Byakuran. It was amusing to think humans were so impatient, that such establishments needed to be set up in the middle of the city. And yet, here he was fulfilling the purpose of the shady and seedy place.

Byakuran moved over to bed and tried not to flop on to it as he sat and waited. Bluebell should be here any moment. She would never keep him waiting for too long. As if on cue, the door to the room opened.

"Byakuran!" His anticipated guest exclaimed. He turned to face a girl with ankle length blue hair and bright blue eyes. Although, she looked young, she had lived for a very long time, perhaps even longer than he had. Mermaids were kind of like koi fish, they were blessed with lengthy lives, and it was no wonder people thought that eating a mermaid's flesh would grant them immortality. On the contrary, mermaid flesh was quite poisonous and actually granted a swift death than an elongated lifetime. The mermaid was wearing a high school girls' uniform, her favorite garment of choice, because it fit her youthful look as well as her childish personality. She mostly hung with the young crowd, although she wasn't interested in the things that concerned them. She was old enough to be over the trivial things that human youths encompassed their whole lives around.

Bluebell ran up to the Kitsune, hugging him around the waist.

"Hello to you, too." The fox greeted. "Have you been doing well?"

"Yep." Bluebell commented. Her eyes then caught the sight of Byakuran's clothing and then pulled away a short distance to examine the garments. She turned a suspicious eye to the fox spirit. "Who gave you those clothes?"

"Oh these?" The kitsune looked down at his garments, pulling at a slight cease in his shirt. He was still wearing the clothes Tsuna had given him the other day. He hadn't had the time to change, but he didn't feel he needed to. Plus the human's clothes were very comfortable. "My new acquaintance gave them to me."

The mermaid made a face of disgust as she eyed the clothes even more. "They're so plain and ugly."

"That's not nice. I actually like them." Remarked Byakuran.

"It looks like you're trying too hard to fit in." Bluebell continued to belittle his clothes, but the reynard knew she was only being spiteful. Usually, when hengeyokai first create a human appearance, there are many mistakes that one could make. One error was wearing the wrong clothing. Somehow, you attracted more attention to yourself if you weren't up to date with the current time's fashion. Thankfully, Japan had a number of fashion trends, ranging from the traditional to the absolute bizarre, so this usually wasn't the case. However, there was more to Bluebell's statement than that; her words were filled with prejudice.

"Like an aristocrat in commoner's clothing." Byakuran said more to himself than to Bluebell.

It was to be expected. Most yokai believed that they descended from the kami, and so they felt they were superior to humans. Their immortality and the powers that yokai possessed only justified this belief, since humans didn't have such abilities and only lived for a short span of time. Some yokai even had the nerve of calling themselves demi-gods. The truth was, humans and yokai, had all descended from the same place. But if you informed a yokai of this fact they would probably laugh in your face.

Byakuran never shared the same view. Personally, he favored the company of humans more than he did his preternatural brethren. He had figured that it was a kitsune thing. They had a habit of mingling with mankind, teaching them lessons and even courting them. It was like some DNA ingrained obsession. Perhaps that was why he didn't feel so bad using Bluebell in such a way or even robbing from Hibari. He would never do those things to a human though, unless they were asking for it.

"How come you never wear the clothes I get you?" The blue haired mermaid inquired with an adorable pout.

The marine yokai had brought him a variety of things over the years. None of which he accepted. It was kind of like a woman accepting a drink at the bar. Accepting a drink usually meant that you were accepting of other things the buyer had planned. Accepting any of Bluebell's gifts would only lead the mermaid to believe that their relationship was more than physical. "Ah, But if I were to wear them you'll get silly ideas in your head."

"They're not silly." Bluebell whined, contorting her face.

Suddenly, Byakuran's shoulders slumped as he felt another wave of fatigue. A hand went to his forehead, pushing the white strands of hair in his face back.

"Are you okay?" The mermaid inquired, her young face showing genuine concern for the kitsune.

The kitsune wasn't all that drained. He was just tired of the other's babbling. He very much wanted to go back to feeling vigorous; instead of going in circles with conversations that they had already went in the motions of. He slowly looked up to the aqua haired yokai.

"Just a bit drained." Assured the kitsune with a smirk.

"Do you want me to make it better?" Bluebell asked cupping the kitsune's face with her hands.

The mermaid's touch was cool on his skin. Kitsune could already feel the power of her caress, seeping energy into his pores. It was a nice feeling, but the fox spirit felt nothing. It was more like an energy boost to his system, then anything erotic. But he would play along, it was would be disappointing for the both of them if he didn't. Byakuran gave the girl a weak grin as he pulled down the side of her uniform shirt, revealing a bare shoulder. "That's what I'm hoping for."

* * *

"So you met a Kitsune?"

Tsuna nodded, surprised by how calm Enma was being about the whole situation. After Tsuna had told him everything, he was sure Enma would think he was crazy or hallucinating from some narcotic. Instead, his friend had been very understanding. Actually, he was able to maintain his quiet demeanor throughout and like a workaholic; his attention was on the pile of dishes that needed to be cleaned.

"And you've been to the crow tengu's base, too?" Enma asked.

"Yea." Tsuna answered, looking at his friend expectantly. He was waiting for Enma to show him some kind of reaction to his tale.

Unfortunately, Enma did not give Tsuna the answer he was looking for. The crimson haired boy's face was deadpanned. "Oh. Okay."

_Just 'okay'?_ Tsuna thought, disappointed by the other's disinterest. But as he looked at his friend more closely, he figured that Enma may be used to supernatural stuff. "Then, you've come across them before?"

Enma nodded. "Before I came to Tokyo. At my hometown, they used to follow me a lot."

"Seriously?" Tsuna exclaimed, surprised. This was the first time he heard of it. "How come you never told me?"

The crimson headed dishwasher shrugged his shoulders. "You never asked."

_Who would ask someone that out of the blue?_ Tsuna thought to himself, but even verbally he could not cut out his thwarted tone. "Well you could have brought up the topic?"

"I doubt you would have believed me." Enma dismissed as he grabbed for another dish.

"True." Tsuna agreed. Before yesterday, he probably wouldn't have believed his friend. Up to this point, he always thought the stories his grandfather told were fairytales or myths. Curiously, the brunette questioned. "Do they still do that?"

The crimson haired boy shook his head, wiping his hands on his apron before; he dug them in his pockets, retrieving a sutra. The symbols written on the sutra was hard for Tsuna to understand, but appear mystical. "This protects me against them."

Tsuna eyed the sutra. It looked impressive, similar to the pieces of paper his grandfather used to write in his spare time. "Did you get this at a shrine? I could use one. "

"No. I wrote it with my own blood." Enma said with a serious expression as he looked to the sutra.

"Your own blood?" Tsuna exclaimed again, baffled by the length his best friend had to take in keeping the spirits away.

Tsuna's best friend added. "I mixed it with ink, though."

_Mention that first!_ Tsuna countered mentally. He then began to consider Enma's situation. If his friend had to use his blood in his sutra then he must be harassed by some terrible creatures. "Were the attacks that bad that you had to go through such lengths?"

Enma just looked to Tsuna as he placed the sutra back into his pocket and the brunette knew without having a word uttered. Tsuna struggled to say something, anything encouraging or somewhat sympathetic, but nothing came to mind. "Enma…" The brunette began, but he wasn't able to finish.

"What are you guys talking about?" A voice questioned from behind them.

Both boys turned to see one of the waitresses behind them. This particular girl made Tsuna straighten up and his palms began to sweat. To the brunette, she was the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. Kyoko had light orange hair that cascaded passed her shoulders, but he remembered when they went to high school it was at her shoulders. Her honey colored eyes had the same precious light and her perpetual smile always brightened up the room.

"K-kyoko-chan!" The protagonist stuttered.

"Good afternoon." She greeted the two dishwashers, "What were you saying about being attacked?"

Tsuna doesn't know what to say. Out of nervousness and not wanting to appear like a loser in front of Kyoko, Tsuna kept quiet and just stared at the waitress. However, the silence was not helping his case and so, Enma decided chime in. "Ghosts."

This enabled Tsuna to speak. "Y-yeah we were talking about ghosts. They're scary."

"Really? I think they're pretty cool." The waitress said excitedly.

_Kyoko likes ghosts?_ Tsuna thought incredulously. He would never have pictured Kyoko liking ghosts. He thought she would be afraid of them, but it seemed that the girl he liked was much braver than he was.

"Did you see a ghost, Sawada-san?" Kyoko questioned as she looked to Tsuna. "Was it a human spirit or an animal one?"

Tsuna paused, not knowing what to say or do under the waitress's sunny gaze. The brunette had frozen up and his mind went totally blank. "Um…"

"It was both." Enma answered for the brunette.

Kyoko turned to Enma. "Both?"

His best friend explained mildly. "It turned from an animal to a person."

"I never heard of that." The waitress said her expression pensive.

"It was just a dream or something." Tsuna finally said with a nervous smile.

"Oh I see." Kyoko said with a bright smile. She then turned to leave. "I'll see you later, Sawada-san, Enma-san."

Tsuna watched the waitress leave and as soon as Kyoko was out of his sight, the brown haired dishwasher sighed deeply. Why couldn't he ever be comfortable around Kyoko? Why did he always freeze up like that? He always looked like a total idiot in front of her. It was no wonder the girl looked through him most of the time.

"Why didn't you tell Kyoko about the yokai?" Enma inquired, waking the brunette from his thoughts.

"She already thinks I'm pretty weird as it is." Tsuna sighed. "I didn't want her thinking I'm insane."

With that the brunette went back to the dishes and distracted himself by trying to scrub off a difficult remnant of food. Enma watched the other for a while, before he also returned to his work.

* * *

The water was just the right temperature, so comfortable that Byakuran didn't want to come from underneath it. He allowed the spray of water to wash over him as he stood in the shower. He didn't think of anything. His mind was completely clear. However, his meditation was invaded by sounds of a cellphone. Byakuran turned to the sound of the ringing, eying his white phone on the edge of the sink.

Byakuran turned off the water stepping out of the water. He quickly grabbed a towel, wrapped around his waist. He leaned over the mobile phone and read the number that flashed on the screen. Recognition gleamed in his lilac eyes and he answered the call. As soon as the kitsune placed the phone to his ear, the speaker already started his rant."You don't know how to pick up a damn phone!"

"Well if it isn't Mr. Dangerous." Byakuran greeted sweetly which angered the speaker even more. "And we wouldn't be talking right now if I didn't know how to pick up a phone?"

"Where have you been?" The other demanded, the kitsune could almost hear the grinding of the other's teeth through the receiver.

Byakuran did a dramatic pause as if he was thinking about it. Then he answered. "Japan, I last checked."

"Fuck you, Kuzunoha!" The speaker cursed, "Don't toy with me!"

Byakuran laughed. Though the person on the other line was enraged, he couldn't help but be amused by it. Byakuran decided to put the joking aside for a while, so that they could get down to business. "It's just that you are very fun to play with, but I apologize. I understand you are a very busy man and you had been anticipating the information I promised."

There was silence on the other side. The fox spirit figured that the person was calming down. Finally, the speaker replied in an even voice."Did you manage to get it?"

Unfortunately, the fox spirit couldn't resist teasing the other and his playful jabs continued. It was his nature after all."I wonder what Mr. Dangerous has to offer me if I did?"

"Stop calling me that! And we already agreed upon an offer."

Byakuran shrugged his shoulders as he looked down at his nails inattentively. "But I dug up something else of interest. I'm sure you would be interested, but we wouldn't know. I don't feel that motivated to share."

"Bastard." The speaker spat.

"So what do you say, Gokudera-kun?" Byakuran said, finally saying the other's true name.

"Fine! Double what we agreed upon. Anything more and you're damn greedy."

The vulpine yokai looked up from his nails with interest gleaming in his lilac irises. "Then it's a date. I'll swing by tomorrow morning."

"Stop playing around, Bastard." Gokudera remarked, "You better be there tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Mr. Dangerous. I'll keep our appointment. Bye now~."

Before Gokudera could protest, the fox had already hung up. Byakuran placed the phone down and he began to dry his hair as if he didn't sense the marine yokai standing close to the door, eavesdropping. He ignored her for awhile, to let her believe she got away with it. But at the last minute, where she started to inch away from the door, he called out to her. "Yes, Bluebell?"

The aqua haired mermaid entered the room, her face wasn't stricken with guilt. In fact she looked shameless. "Who was that?"

"An acquaintance of mine." The kitsune said vaguely.

"Was it the person who gave you those ugly clothes?"

Byakuran realized why she was eavesdropping and he smiled at that. "No."

"But you're going on a date with this person." The marine yokai said, her cheeks puffing out.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop, Bluebell. But I was only joking." The snowy haired yokai assured her as he exited the bathroom and went into the main room. He then settled on the bed, which was in disarray.

"Oh." The mermaid blushed, feeling silly and also embarrassed that Byakuran had to see her that way. But her embarrassment was short-lived as he went over to the kitsune, hopping on to the bed beside the fox spirit. Her towel, threatening to unravel any moment. She touched his arm lightly, gaining his attention. "Well, are you feeling better now?"

"Thanks to you, I am." Byakuran said with his usual smirk. Then his expression became thoughtful and his eyes weren't truly looking at Bluebell, but lost in memories. "It's been a long time since I had to use my powers like that."

The mermaid raised an eyebrow at this. "What were you doing?"

The Reynard was pulled out of his thoughts by Bluebell's question. He then laughed. "Let's just say I paid Kyo-chan a visit."

The blue haired yokai frowned at this."The leader of the crow tengu? Why would you pay him a visit? He's not a friend of yours?"

Here Byakuran decided to change the topic. If he explained it to her, then it would somehow lead to Tsuna's identity. And she didn't need to know about the human and Tsuna didn't need to know about her either. "I'm in the mood for something sweet. Let's go out for some cake."

Bluebell's eyes brightened and she was already leaping off the bed to snatch up her clothes. As he finished drying his hair, he wondered if Tsuna liked cakes and other sweet things. The brunette didn't seem like the type to eat sweet things, but he knew he wasn't the type of person to turn down something that another went out of their way to get. And maybe he could tease him by trying to spoon fed him some cake. That would be delightful. He could already imagine the human blushing madly and stuttering because the situation was so far out of his comfort zone. The simple thought placed a smile on the Kitsune's face. He definitely had to try it.

* * *

Coming off of work, the two boys headed for the convenience store, since they both couldn't cook. While Enma was browsing the snacks, the brunette went over to the refrigerated section to get a few essentials and a microwaveable meal. He picked up one for himself, but he lingered by the meals.

_I wonder if he came back._ Tsuna thought to himself. The human wondered if Byakuran ate while outside or was he waiting for him to come home. He then realized what he was thinking. He quickly disregarded his concern. _Wait…Byakuran waiting at home? Yeah right._ The kitsune was grown enough to feed himself and he probably wasn't coming back, anyway.

Although, he had resolved not to buy another bento, he still lingered by the area, a wandering brown eye looking to the stack of bento, enticing the human. Then the brunette surrendered, he picked up the second and headed for the cashier. If the kitsune didn't come back then at least he had something to eat for tomorrow. Yep, that was his story and he's sticking to it.

Of course, Enma noticed the second bento and questioned Tsuna about it when they left the store. "You brought two?"

"For tomorrow." Tsuna told his crimson haired friend. Then he quickly changed the subject. "What did you get?"

"Bread. Chips and some water." Enma told the brunette.

Tsuna raised an eyebrow at this. "That's it?"

But his companion seemed distracted. Enma suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing the brunette to stop a few steps ahead. The brunette watched as his best friend, silently peered into the night. They had gotten off pretty late, the streets were virtually deserted and the streetlights were scarce. Tsuna just now noticed how dark everything was. But he wasn't normally aware of this fact, mainly because Enma was here with him. Now he was very conscious of it. The human followed suit with his best friend and looked down the dark road. From Tsuna's view he saw nothing. However, it seemed as if Enma was seeing something else. Concerned, Tsuna called out to his friend. "Enma?"

"There's something there." Enma said quietly.

The brunette peered into the darkness and still saw nothing. He felt nervous not being able to see the thing that caught his friend's attention. "W-what is it?"

There was silence for a few minutes. The wind blew at them, causing the plastic bags they carried, to rattle. Finally Enma said. "A bike."

"Bike?" Tsuna said confused, but also relieved. He was happy it was nothing serious, but he still wondered why Enma was still peering into the darkness as if he was saw something not so comforting. It was rely starting to unnerve him.

Then the brunette human heard it. The squealing of a wheel that needed to be oiled. It was faint, but it's sound growing louder as it drew closer. Finally, Tsuna was able to see it for himself. A red bike rolled into the spotlight. Its front tire had holes in it and was patched with tape. The wheels wobbled as it drove. The chain dragged on the pavement. The handle bars were no longer there and all that was left was the rusty metal. The saddle of the bike was tore and ripped with the stuffing coming out. However, the worst part was yet to come. The bike had eyes! Glowing amber eyes rested on where the handle bars used to be. The peddles of the bike transformed into clawed hands. The front tire of the bike was split in half and was lifted to bare the bike's teeth, long, pointy and sharp.

Tsuna gulped loudly as he observed the demonic bike. But that seemed to beckon it, causing the bicycle's wheels to turn furiously as if it was preparing to speed off. The brunette just stood there in shock, his eyes unwavering from the sight of the bike. The demonic bike jolted forwards, racing toward them. Suddenly his shoulder was grabbed by Enma, urging him to move. The glued to floor effect his body undertook was broken and Tsuna ran with Enma.

From having to escape bullies in their youth, Enma and Tsuna were pretty good at running. They had so many years of running away from their harassers, that the both of them were even scouted for the track team in senior year. However, their running skills were placed to the test tonight. The boys didn't have to turn around to know that the bike was at their heels. They could feel it. The humans slammed their feet fast against the pavement to desperately get away, but of course, the increase of speed causing the brunette to lose his footing and fell to the ground. Enma noticed that Tsuna fell back and yelled out to him to get up. "Tsuna!"

But it was too late; the demonic bike was seconds away from getting him. The brunette looked at the bike in horror as he tried to enable his body to get up from the floor and start running again. The bike was inches away from colliding with the human, but just before it could it burst into flames. A loud shriek was heard from the bike as it backpedaled away from Tsuna and then turned around retreat.

"Finding more trouble, Tsunayoshi-kun?" The white haired kitsune called out to the human.

Tsuna looked up from his place and saw the Reynard emerge from out of nowhere. "Byakuran!"

The kitsune's human guise was wearing different clothes. Light colored jeans with a dark shirt and a light blazer. On his feet were white combat boots. Byakuran's attire seemed more stylish then the clothes that Tsuna gave him.

"It was only playing with you." Byakuran calmly assured the brunette.

_Playing?_ Tsuna considered as he got to his feet. The relieved human looked off to where the bike retreated. The bike may have been 'playing', but the kitsune was a bit harsh by setting it on fire. "Was that bike possessed or something?"

The vulpine yokai shook his head. "It was a tsukumogami."

"Tsukumogami?" Tsuna repeated, looking back to his preternatural companion

Byakuran nodded. "When an object lives for a hundred years, it'll turn into a yokai. They're completely harmless, though."

It was pretty remarkable that even objects could become yokai. Tsuna believed he heard something like this from his grandfather and he also remembered that people would come to him with broken things in order to cleanse them. Perhaps, that was the reason he cleansed useless objects, so they wouldn't become tsukumogami. However, the brunette couldn't ignore the fact that one attempted to run him over. "It was trying to run us down!"

"Us?" Byakuran questioned with a raise of an eyebrow.

Tsuna looked around and just now realized that his friend was gone. They must have gotten separated during the chase. "Where did Enma go?" Tsuna said mostly to himself.

"Oh, the one with the bandages?" Byakuran mentioned, recalling such a boy running with Tsuna. He then pointed to the right of them. "I think he went that way."

"You probably scared him off." Tsuna accused, having a fire appear out of nowhere would scare anyone. Knowing Enma, who had lived his most life being chased by yokai, he wouldn't be sticking around.

The snowy haired yokai observed Tsuna's concern for the other and inquired. "Is he someone important to you?"

"He's my best friend." Tsuna said with a small smile. He then turned in the direction Enma had raced off in. "I'm sure he'll be okay since that demonic bicycle is gone."

Byakuran looked off in the same direction Enma disappeared. There was something about that boy. He felt something when he was near, but he couldn't make out what he was feeling. The kitsune let it go for now. If this was truly Tsuna's best friend, then they would probably meet again.

"What are you doing here?" Tsuna asked, bringing the fox spirit's attention back to him.

The fox spirit turned to the human and smirked. "Didn't you invite me to a sleepover?"

"No, I didn't." Tsuna denied, but it was hard to take him seriously when his cheeks reddened. He was very surprised the kitsune came back. He wondered if the other felt obligated because what he said earlier or he really came back because he wanted to.

"But who's going to tuck you in tonight?" Byakuran questioned looking very serious.

_I'm old enough to do it myself!_ Tsuna thought arguably, blushing even more.

Then the vulpine kitsune said with a remorseful tone. "I promise I wouldn't leave you again."

Tsuna paused, hearing those words. He didn't know why it affected him the way it did. He knew the kitsune would hold up to his promise, since his life was on the line. But some how he felt as if the other was promising more than what he was saying. But Tsuna was being silly; he was just fulfilling his promise.

"And I brought cake~." Byakuran added, presently a cardboard carryout box.

The human sighed heavily holding up his plastic bag. "I have an extra bento if you want it."

A cunning smile appeared on the snowy kitsune's face. "Is it possible that Tsunayoshi-kun picked this up because he was thinking of me?"

"It was on sale, so I just brought an extra." Tsuna lied. It was bad enough, the yokai felt like he needed to babysit him. He didn't want him to think he was obsessing over him either.

Suddenly a small white piece a paper was in the Kitsune's hands. "Tsunayoshi-kun is such a liar, I can clearly see on this receipt-"

"Where did you get that-?" Tsuna said quickly as he moved to snatch the receipt from Byakuran, but the receipt had changed back into its original form, a fallen leaf. Then the brunette knew he had been tricked. He then said slowly. "I… didn't get a receipt back."

"You're so gullible, Tsunayoshi-kun." Byakuran joked, starting to walk in the direction of Tsuna's apartment. The human began to follow after the kitsune, put something hindered him. He felt as if he was being watched. Tsuna turned around and peered into the darkness, he saw nothing, but the feeling was still there. He ignored it and caught up with Byakuran.

* * *

Back at Tsuna's apartment

Byakuran and Tsuna were sitting at the table eating their meals. The brunette was still embarrassed by being tricked by the kitsune about the extra bentou. He hated how the fox could somehow see right through him. Was he so predictable? Or was he just too gullible for his own good? In any case, Tsuna still couldn't get over how he fell for such a trick.

As strong as the humiliation he felt, the brunette was a bit curious about the Kitsune's whereabouts while he was at work. He wasn't sure if he should ask, he didn't want to pry. But he was bested by his curiosity and he blurted out:

"Where did you go?" Tsuna inquired.

"I went to see a friend." The fox said simply, not at all bothered by Tsuna's interest.

"Another yokai?" The human further questioned, looking over to Byakuran.

Byakuran smiled softly to himself."Yep."

"To visit?" Tsuna asked as he took a drink from his glass.

Byakuran looked up from his food, a grin on his face, and the yokai said with ease. "We hooked up~."

Tsuna spat out his juice. He looked up to the kitsune, who was grinning at him. "E-excuse me?"

The kitsune simpered at the show. He watched Tsuna as he stared back at him in disbelief. "Did I say something wrong?"

The brunette calmed down as he wiped his mouth. Byakuran didn't say anything wrong, the execution of it was wrong, though. There were more subtle ways to announce his act or rather; did he have to tell him at all? But it went further than how it was said, but what was said. The human couldn't figure out what made him react the way he did. He's heard more vulgar things within the halls of his high school career. Still, he felt a bit unsettled by this news. Finally, he concluded it as none of his business, plus he just knew the fox only announced it to get a rise out of him.

"No, it's your own business. Not mine." The human replied as nonchalantly as he could, getting up to retrieve something to clean up the mess he made. There was juice all over the table now.

Byakuran watched Tsuna leave the table. He hadn't expected the human to react in such a way. It was amusing and also very intriguing to him.

Tsuna returned to wipe up the mess, when his eyes caught sight of the carryout box. "What kind of cake did you get?"

"Well, I didn't know what you would like, so I got a whole bunch." Byakuran opened the box and showed the brunette. There was strawberry shortcake, tiramisu, mont blanc, creampuffs, donuts, chocolate cake and small tarts.

Tsuna was astounded by how many things the fox brought, although they all looked delicious. "Who's going to eat all of that?"

"Me." The kitsune smiled.

The human raised an eyebrow. "You?"

"I like sweets." Byakuran said as he finished off his bento.

Somehow, Tsuna wasn't surprised. With Byakuran's features and floral name, it wouldn't be farfetched to believe the fox spirit had a sweet tooth. "I'll just take the donuts."

"That's it?" Byakuran said surprised. He had expected the human to eat more than that. In the long run, this meant more sweets for him.

_Haven' you heard of moderation?_ Tsuna thought to himself. He liked sweets here and there, but he couldn't eat a bunch of them in one sitting. Although, the treats the kitsune brought tempted him to try. "That's fine for me."

Byakuran choose the tiramisu and shortcake for himself. Eating each treat, slowly. As Byakuran was in the middle of the tiramisu, he looked over to Tsuna. "Do you have to work tomorrow?"

Tsuna was in the middle of biting into one of the donuts. It was delicious, but he quickly chewed the pastry to answer the Kitsune's question. "No. Why?"

The vulpine yokai smiled, "Would you like to go on a field trip with me?"

* * *

The brunette had anticipated that he would need to help the Kitsune, but once they entered the local subway station, Tsuna was impressed by how easily Byakuran was able to blend in. The kitsune seemed like a regular commuter the way he was able to maneuver about the station. He was able to purchase his tickets so swiftly and with ease. The kitsune knew which side to stand on the escalator and even as the train arrived, he was able to avoid being trampled by the hurried passengers departing the compartment.

Actually, Tsuna seemed more like the novice than Byakuran did. He had some difficulty with the machine, which the fox had to come to his aid. He was nearly thrown off the escalator, by a bunch of businessmen rushing to get to the platform. And Byakuran had to rescue him, when he pushed by the throng of commuters exiting from the train.

"You don't take the trains often, do you Tsunayoshi-kun?" Byakuran commented as they boarded the train. Tsuna could hear the hint of laughter in the other's voice, which he didn't appreciate.

_Be quiet._ The brunette human hissed in his head, but he couldn't deny that Byakuran knew how to navigate the subway system. "But you seem pretty knowledgeable."

"Of course." I was around when they were starting to build the subway system."

_No wonder._ Tsuna thought to himself, slightly envious of the yokai. "So, you even rode on a Shinkansen?"

The yokai shrugged his shoulders. "Dozens of times."

_Lucky._ Tsuna considered. It was one of his dreams to ride on one. Though, he was a fearful person, who avoided anything that could crash, he always wanted to ride on the bullet train. Actually, he just wanted to be able to go somewhere other than his home town. He never even went to where his grandfather lived. But ultimately, he wasn't brave enough and that fear held him back. "I never rode on one. Maybe one day, when I save enough money. I could go somewhere."

"Where would you go?" The kitsune questioned.

The human hadn't thought about it. He gave Byakuran a blank look before, he shrugged and a small smiled appeared on his lips. "I don't know. I haven't thought of it. I just thought it would be nice to ride on one. I'll be willing to go anywhere."

The train pulled into a station and a throng of people boarded their compartment, pushing to get a spot in train. Of course, Tsuna was pushed forward by a surprisingly strong elderly woman, racing to get a free seat. Luckily, he was able to fall into a cushion. Unfortunately that cushion was Byakuran's chest. "Comfy, Tsunayoshi-kun?" Byakuran teased.

Tsuna looked up, staring confusedly into the taller male's face. He then realized the closeness of their bodies or even, how he managed to grab a hold of the front of Byakuran's shirt. But what really pieced things together was the growing wicked grin on the kitsune guise's face. The brunette relinquished all hold he had on the fox spirit. "T-that woman pushed me…and I-I fell…"

"No need to explain, Tsunayoshi-kun. It's okay." The snowy haired yokai assured the human.

"It is?" The human actually looked hopeful.

"Of course, it's hard for humans to keep their hands off of me." He then moved in close to Tsuna, their cheeks brushing for a second and he whispered close to his ear. His voice low enough that only the brunette could hear. "But how impatient Tsunayoshi-kun. We can continue when we get back to your place~."

And it was as if Byakuran flipped some sort of switch, the brunette was seething and suddenly he exploded. Tsuna opened his mouth, "I told you already! I'm not having sex with you!"

Byakuran was only snickered; surprised that Tsuna's response was so loud. "Yes, you have. But you also told the whole train, too."

Tsuna paused, realizing that he had said that out loud. He felt the stares of everyone on the train on his back. The brunette covered his mouth, his face a crimson red at this point. However, through his embarrassment, he was able send an icy look to Byakuran.

Of course, Byakuran was unfazed by the human's glare. He found it amusing. The people on the train were also looking at him, but their stares had no effect. Unlike Tsuna, he didn't care what they thought of him. He doubted they would meet again and if they did, he doubted they would remember him. Luckily for Tsuna, he wouldn't have to endure this humiliation any further. The train has entered the station of their destination.

The fox spirit announced, "Our stop~."

* * *

"Here we are~." Byakuran said excitedly.

Tsuna was still sore about Byakuran embarrassing him on the train, but he was very interested in where the kitsune was taking him. The street they were on looked ordinary and the building they stood in front of seemed like a normal apartment building. Was this their destination? "Where are we?"

Byakuran merely pointed to the building's direction. Apparently, there were a bunch of businesses located in this space. But one stood out to the brunette the most. The sign was white and written in English. There were even black skulls sitting on the words.

"Dangerous Paranormal Investigations?" Tsuna read the sign. _What kind of name is that? _The human thought.

As if reading Tsuna's mind, Byakuran answered. "The owner lost a bet to his secretary. She decided to name it this."

The human raised an eyebrow at this. It was an unusual method to name an organization. But Tsuna became curious of what kind of name the owner intended it to have. "What would the owner have called it?"

The vulpine yokai smirked."G Paranormal Investigations."

_Dangerous is way better. _Tsuna considered. Dangerous had a certain ring to it that "G" didn't. Then, Tsuna was wondering what the G would stand for anyway? The more the brunette thought of the naming, he was led to the bigger question. He became curious on why a preternatural being such as Byakuran would be interested in visiting a paranormal investigation agency. Wouldn't he be afraid that his identity would be found out?

The human turned to the snowy haired fox. "Why are we here?"

"Work. I have to discuss something with the owner, but I thought this would be a good experience for you. These people deal with Yokai and lesser beings on a daily basis." The snowy haired guise replied as he began walking inside of the building. As they reached the elevator, he turned to Tsuna and finished. "Perhaps, you can relate to them, make friends…but mainly, I don't want you to think I abandoned you."

"Thanks for the honesty." Tsuna said dryly, not sure the fox was truthful in his claim.

As the elevator arrived, Byakuran thought of something else to tell the human. "By the way, these people know me as Kuzunoha, not Byakuran."

"Kuzunoha?" Tsuna repeated.

"That's right." Byakuran said as he boarded the elevator. "Let's go. I have an appointment and he'll be very upset if I'm late."

The agency was located on the fifth floor and was only a few doors down from the elevator. The kitsune knocked first and then opened the door. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

The brunette followed after the other as he walked in. They stayed by the door, switching their shoes to slippers, before walking deeper into the agency.

Suddenly, a female's voice came into room. "Good morning. Welcome to Dangerous Paranormal Investigations. If it's dangerous, we're interested."

Apparently, this was said by someone crossing the room with a stack of books as tall as Tsuna was. From the waist up, the woman's face was covered by the books. But Tsuna was able to notice that the speaker was wearing a pencil skirt and pumps.

Byakuran chuckled at the display, amused. "No need for all that, Haru-chan~. It's just me."

"Kuzunoha?" The woman said with recollection. She then turned to the side revealing her profile. The woman had brown hair cut in a bob and her brown eyes were large like a child. She wore a white blouse and grey sweater for her top. Tsuna was quick to notice a weird looking pendant on her sweater. It looked like a mini umibouzo doll. She has a brilliant smile as she recognized Byakuran. "It's been awhile."

The fox replied cheerfully. "I know~. We never finished Monster Movie night."

Haru finally placed the pile of books on a desk. "That's right. Spanner-san got a few more movies for us to watch."

"I look forward to it." Byakuran smiled and then gestured to Tsuna. "Haru-chan, this is my associate, Tsunayoshi-kun."

The brunette young woman turned her gaze to Tsuna, she walked up to him and shook his hand. "I'm Haru, Tsuna-san. Are you a yokai?"

"No. I'm human." Tsuna murmured, surprised by the question. Wasn't it obvious that he was human?

"So am I! We have something in common!" Haru said excitedly.

_What is with this girl?_ Tsuna wondered.

The front door opened revealing two men. One with red wild hair and glasses. He wore jeans, a black t-shirt and large headphones around his neck. The other had blonde hair with a lollipop stick in his mouth. He was also wearing normal clothes, but there were goggles around his neck and a belt of tools on his hip. Tsuna noticed the blond has a compass like tattoo on his neck.

"Shou-chan, Spanner." Byakuran greeted.

"Kuzunoha. You're back." The red headed man replied, looking a bit relieved. The blond only gave the fox a simple smile.

"I am. I'm here to see your fearless leader."

Shouichi ran his hands through his hair, showing some unease. "I hope so Gokudera is really angry with you."

Byakuran shrugged his shoulder, his grin widening. "Couldn't do anything about that."

Suddenly, an office door opened, revealing a man with silver hair. He had a cigarette in his mouth that wasn't lit, but was used to gnaw on, over and over. His piercing emerald eyes spotted Byakuran. When Tsuna looked closely it was obvious the other had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. His red shirt was disheveled, hanging out of his dark pants and wrinkled, a white tie hung loosely around his neck.

"So you decided to show up." The other spat at Byakuran.

Although, Gokudera was less than pleasant, Byakuran's smile never wavered. In fact, it seemed to turn up at the ends. "I did say I would come. You didn't believe me?"

"No." Gokudera looked to Tsuna, sharing his bad mood with an innocent victim. "Who the hell are you?"

"S-sawada Tsunayoshi." Tsuna stuttered, intimidated by the moody man.

The silver haired man barked. "What do you want?"

Tsuna looked to Byakuran for help, after all, the fox brought him here. The kitsune answered for Tsuna. "I brought him along."

"This is a business, not a fucking tourist attraction, Kuzunoha." Gokudera sneered.

"Oh, but Tsunayoshi-kun is not some enthusiast. He knows his stuff. He's very knowledgeable about yokai."

Tsuna jumped as he felt the other's intensifying gaze on him again. "Is that so?"

The brunette talked really quickly. "M-my grandfather told me stories when I was young. I didn't think they were very credible. Until I met Bya-Kuzunoha-san."

"Who's your grandfather, Sawada-san?" This was from Shouichi. Which Tsuna was happy for, because Gokudera's look was getting to him.

The human answered simply. "Sawada Ieyasu."

"You mean **Golden** Ieyasu Sawada?" Haru exclaimed.

"Golden?" Tsuna repeated. He never heard anyone refer to his grandfather with such a title.

"He's only known by that name by paranormal enthusiasts, but for yokai he's known as the Boogieman~." Byakuran commented with a slight smirk.

"The Boogieman?" Tsuna repeated. That had to be lie. His grandfather was nothing like that. "My grandfather would never hurt a fly."

Gokudera concluded in a much calmer voice as of now his cigarette was lit. "Then maybe it's a different Ieyasu Sawada. Sawada is a very common surname."

"Maybe." But somehow, Tsuna was unsettled by this. Though his grandfather was a caring man to him, there were a few moments in his childhood that he had seen a different side. Plus, there was his grandfather's knowledge of yokai and those seals he would make. Could it simply be because he liked such things or that he was in the business of it? There was no way for Tsuna to know, unless he asked his grandfather himself.

* * *

Notes:

Kuzunoha is one of Byakuran's favored aliases. However, the name Kuzunoha is actually the name of mother of Abe no Seimei, who was rumored to be a kitsune.

Golden Ieyasu Sawada – The nickname Golden for Tsuna's Grandfather is a reference to Kintoki Sakata. A famous folk figure in Japanese Folklore.

Kami- When Byakuran mentioned the Kami, he's referring to the god and goddesses responsible for the birth of Japan (land), Man, life and death and even the first emperor.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update. If it wasn't for the reviews, story alerts and favorites, I would not have pushed myself to finish. So thank you for that. So I'm taking a step further with this story, not only will this story be about Yokai but also human interactions with yokai. Hence, Gokudera's paranormal agency. I thought this would be fun to include, but it wouldn't be the main focus. Thank you for reading this chapter and I hope I'll be quicker with updates.


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